The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) was born out of labour situation that had changed for the worse for the academic staff in the 1980s and 90s. Previously, academic staff had enjoyed decent wages of between equivalents of $ 1350 T0 2000. But during the period the value of the shilling fell, and this was followed by wage distortions in the labour market. Complains by the academic staff to have the issue addressed fell on deaf years. Indeed, the president simply told lectures to find ways to supplement their meagre incomes. So dire, was the situation that academic Staff at the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University attempted to form an Academic Staff Association. The attempt was brutally crushed and the leaders forced to exile. But the desire for labour justice did not die. With the opening of political space, UASU was born in 1983.
Achievements
UASU was established to fight for and protect labour rights of academic staff. It has done so vigorously and made huge achievements. In 2014, the union engineered and prosecuted six months strike that yield a salary and a house allowance increase of 135% and 160%. This drastically improved lecturers’ earnings and quality of life. Since then, it has regularly negotiated salary and house allowance increments, and other terms of condition of service.. Before the advent of UASU, lecturers could not even afford good furniture and other household commodities.
