Lecturers in Kenya’s public universities are threatening a nationwide strike after the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) gave the government seven days to resolve a funding dispute and begin implementing the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Highlights
- UASU has issued the government a seven-day strike ultimatum.
- Lecturers could down their tools from October 2 if their demands are not addressed.
- The union wants the 2025–2029 CBA negotiated, signed and implemented.
- UASU wants CBA salaries and benefits funded directly through the national exchequer.
- The union claims public universities are owed about KSh100 billion by the government.
Main Story
Lecturers Set Strike Deadline
Public university lecturers could soon go on strike after their union issued the government with a seven-day ultimatum to resolve outstanding issues surrounding their new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga announced the notice on Thursday, September 24, saying lecturers would begin their strike at midnight on October 2 if the government fails to meet the union’s demands.
The union wants the 2025–2029 CBA negotiated, signed and immediately set on a path towards implementation.
Funding Dispute at the Centre
Wasonga said UASU had continued engaging the government in good faith but was forced to issue the strike notice after the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury failed to provide a written financial commitment towards the agreement.
The main disagreement centres on how the CBA should be financed.
UASU maintains that salaries and other benefits contained in a national agreement should be paid from the national government’s budget rather than being left to individual universities to finance through student fees and other institutional income.
Wasonga argued that universities should not be expected to shoulder the financial burden of a national agreement.
UASU Raises KSh100 Billion Debt Claim
The union has also raised concerns over the financial health of public universities.
Wasonga claimed the government owes public universities approximately KSh100 billion, saying the outstanding funds have contributed to the financial difficulties facing the institutions.
According to the union, clearing the debt would give universities greater room to meet their obligations, including staff-related costs.
Strike Could Affect Thousands of Students
If the dispute is not resolved before the deadline, the planned industrial action could disrupt learning and academic activities across public universities.
UASU is now calling for the government to provide a clear financial commitment and move forward with the CBA negotiations within the seven-day window.
The government has until the strike deadline to reach an agreement with the lecturers’ union and avert another disruption to university education.
With just days remaining before the proposed strike date, the pressure is now on the government and UASU to find common ground before university classrooms are disrupted once again.
