Hi my name is Jane. Valedon let me write this on his blog coz I felt it necessary. And yes I do not have a blog of my own, yet. (scandalous, right?)
I want to talk about the university lecturers strike. Needless to say, it affects me directly; I’m a student at JKUAT . Its been coming for months, the guys who teach us started talking about it aroung July….So the government was just waiting for the big day?
So this week they started, literally dancing around the school on Monday. Today, they disobeyed a court order and went on with their strike; 10 Egertion lecturers and 2 KU lecturers were consequently sacked. Here, we woke up t two rival notices on the notice boards: one warned us not to miss ANY lectures and report any missing lecturers., the other declared the strike successful and in full swing countrywide.
Having barely digested this, other notices appeared in the papers and elsewhere: ODM supporting the striking lecturers and of Nick Wanjohi’s (jkuat VC) supposedly milking and looting the university (this was published in the Citizen Weekly). Government types condemn the lecturers-some KU lecturers had to record statements on the Police’s courteous request. Lecturer-types declare their undying commitment to the strike!
Its all political!
What about us? The tension on campus is almost liquid. Huku ni kumoto. Its just a matter of time before a mini hell breaks loose-people right now are all outside, in small groups, with loud chants breaking the silence once in a while. Considering the much more volatile nature of akina KU, I shudder to think what’s gong on there!
I’m only an insignificant fresher but I’m going to throw my two cents worth of advice into the soup-pot…….when people come together to ask for their rights, you have to respect them and engage them in reasonalbe dialogue, not sidetrack them (perhaps illegally-as Kulundu did) into the industrial courts.
But are they clamoring for their rights? Is a 600% increment in salary too much? Think twice. The six VCs in the country earn more than 8 times what their lecturers earn. The VCs earn more than most people, even MPS and who knows who else. Incidentally it is these same VCs who claim that the lecturers are just another pack of hyenas. I bed to differ. Who teaches?
If 600% is too much, then dialogue and work it out. Playing hard ball wont do anyone any good.
It’ll just make the ground where two elephants collide et more and more eroded-its us who get hurt not them in their offices and fancy cars!