The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has ended its nationwide strike after signing a Sh20 billion deal with the government. The strike, which began on October 2, had paralyzed teaching, learning, and research in public universities for nearly a month. UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga announced the end of the industrial action on Friday, following negotiations with the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) under the auspices of an Inter-Ministerial Committee.
The agreement provides for the government to release the Sh20 billion in three instalments spread across three financial years. The first tranche of Sh6.7 billion will be released in the 2026/2027 financial year, followed by another Sh6.7 billion in 2027/2028, while the remaining Sh6.6 billion will be disbursed in 2028/2029. Lecturers will also receive an annual basic salary increment of 3.5 per cent for four years, backdated to July 1, 2025.
The deal also includes an automatic annual salary increment of five per cent, alongside harmonization and increases in commuter, leave, and passage and baggage allowances for the majority of academic staff in public universities. The agreement further provides for the payment of outstanding salary and allowance arrears accumulated between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, in three instalments.
The parties agreed that arrears covering the period between July 1 and December 31, 2026, will be paid together with January 2027 salaries. The deal also addresses concerns over possible victimization of lecturers who participated in the strike, with all disciplinary proceedings initiated against employees during the industrial action set to be withdrawn.
For academic staff serving on contract, participation in the strike will not be used as grounds to deny them contract renewals. Wasonga said the agreement had not been easy to reach, describing it as a compromise in which the union had to balance the disruption to students' education against lecturers' demands for better working conditions and protection of their rights.
UASU thanked students for their patience during the disruption and urged them to return to their studies immediately. The union also assured its members that the signed Return to Work Formula (RTWF) would protect them from victimization, including union officials and lecturers employed on contractual terms. With the signing of the return-to-work agreement, normal university operations are expected to resume.
The lecturers' strike had disrupted academic programs across public universities, raising concerns over delayed examinations, interrupted teaching schedules, and the potential extension of academic calendars. UASU achieved the objectives of its strike, and the union declared that "THE STRIKE IS OVER," as lecturers are expected to resume their duties on Monday, November 2.
Key points
- The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has called off its nationwide strike after signing a Sh20 billion deal with the government.
- The agreement provides for an annual basic salary increment of 3.5 per cent for four years and an automatic annual salary increment of five per cent.
- The deal also addresses concerns over possible victimization of lecturers who participated in the strike.
