Strikes across Kenyan universities looked set to enter a fifth week as lecturers take industrial action in a dispute with the government over a new funding model.

The strike began on 29 October, bringing teaching to a complete standstill at public universities for almost a month, and prompting calls from student groups to extend the academic year.

The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has demanded the implementation of a return-to-work formula they signed with the government in September following an initial strike over pay, which promised a 9.7 billion shillings (?60 million) pay package to fund pay rises for academics across the country.?

However, the government has failed to act on its commitment, instead offering to release a 4.3 billion shillings package. Lecturers have demanded the full package be paid.?

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Maloba Wekesa, a senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi and secretary general of its UASU branch, said that the strikes would continue until the government has met its obligations.?

¡°You cannot predict how long it will take. It will take as long as the government is quickly able to deal with our demands,¡± he told?Times Higher Education.

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He conceded that the strikes have been ¡°extremely disruptive¡± for students. ¡°One month for students across public universities not going to their lecture rooms is a huge scale in terms of devastation to their studies.¡±

The government¡¯s resistance to striking a deal with academics showed that ¡°academia is not a priority¡±, Dr Wekesa added.

¡°My message is simple: keep your promises to your workers, and make sure education is never in shambles. It¡¯s not supposed to be in shambles.¡±

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com