On Tuesday afternoon, the lecturers were seen lifting placards at the campus main entrance.

Among them was the Vice Chancellor, Professor John Akech.

When contacted by Eye Radio Professor Akec says the Dean Board were making a symbolic gesture that if their arrears are not cleared until Monday next week, they will lay-down their tools effective Tuesday.

He said some of their demands include a review of their salary structure to match the current market price.

In July 2019, the Council of Ministers approved a new unified salary structure for all the public universities in the country.

But Professor Akech said the 2019 review has lost half of its value.

“The Dean Board made a symbolic gesture, the members of the dean and the director had a long meeting today where they called on the Ministry of Finance to pay their arrears,” Akec said.

“The six month arrears next week and then they are calling on the administration of the university to suspend teaching if nothing is done by Monday, which means they will be stopping lectures and exams on Tuesday.

“They have a week to do that. They are also calling the ministry of Finance to review   the pay structure that was done in 2019 and this time around it has lost half of its value.”

Professor Akec says he stands in solidarity with his colleagues.

“I am one of the people who also have a family. I was a staff before and I became a Vice Chancellor, I believe in what they are saying. If I didn’t believe in what they are saying I would have not stood in solidarity with them,” Akec said.

“There was a call for an immediate strike and for me I said no, this should be the last resort and it is because of my leadership that they agree to give a week to the ministry of finance to clear the arrears.

“I told them let us give room to the Ministry and after that I will not be responsible for any consequences because I tried, I warned the Ministry, Yesterday, I was there and for the whole week and trying to tell the situation is really grave.”

In January, Professor Akec decried the plight of lecturers saying they are being paid the lowest salaries in the region.

He said prior to the devaluation of the pounds coupled with the hyperinflation, a professor was receiving about 25,000 pounds.

But in July 2019, the Council of Ministers approved a new unified salary structure for all the public universities in the country.

This was for the top administration, academics, technical and support staff.

The pay rise came after vice chancellors of the public universities complained about little pay, which they said made lecturers quit the profession.

Currently a professor earns 540,000 SSP per month and an Associate Professor gets 434,000 SSP.

A lecturer gets 341,000, teaching assistant gets 145,700 monthly, and chief technician 186,000 SSP monthly.

Other support staff salaries range between 232,500 and 116,560 SSP monthly.