The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has issued a seven-day notice for a nationwide strike set to begin on October 2. This decision comes after the failure by university councils, the Ministry of Education, and the National Treasury to honour a Return-to-Work Formula signed in November 2025. UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga stated that the strike follows persistent neglect of the agreement. The union also accused the government of failing to present a financial counter-proposal for the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), despite negotiations having been ongoing since last year.
UASU members have vowed to continue the ongoing nationwide strike by lecturers until all dues are cleared. The union had earlier warned that university lecturers would consider industrial action if the government did not resolve the outstanding issues surrounding the 2025-2029 CBA. In a statement issued on August 14, UASU said the agreement was expected to be signed in November 2025 but had remained unresolved. The union has now given the government seven days to address the outstanding matters, failing which lecturers will down their tools from October 2.
The planned industrial action would affect teaching and other academic activities in public universities if the parties fail to reach an agreement before the deadline. UASU has maintained that the implementation of the 2025-2029 CBA, together with the fulfilment of the Return-to-Work Formula, remains at the centre of efforts to resolve the dispute. The union said the dispute had dragged on while other public sector employees had already completed negotiations for their 2025-2029 CBAs.
According to UASU, the latest disagreement followed a meeting held with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) on September 21. SRC informed university-sector unions that neither the Ministry of Education nor the National Treasury had given a written commitment confirming that funding for CBAs in public universities would come through the National Exchequer. This raised concerns over the negotiations that have been taking place at Machakos University since last year.
UASU said that SRC communicated that it could not issue the constitutional advice required to facilitate financial counter-proposals to the Unions. This development has heightened tensions between the union and the government. The union accused the government of neglecting the plight of lecturers in public universities.
The UASU Secretary-General expressed frustration over the government's inaction, stating that the union had been patient for too long. Constantine Wasonga emphasized that lecturers can no longer tolerate the delay in implementing the CBA. The union is demanding immediate action from the government to address the outstanding issues.
The strike notice has raised concerns about the potential impact on the academic calendar in public universities. Students and stakeholders are anxiously waiting for a resolution to the dispute. The government has seven days to address the union's demands and avert the strike.
Key points
- UASU issues seven-day strike notice over delayed implementation of 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
- Lecturers in Kenya's public universities set to strike on October 2.
- Strike follows failure by government to honour Return-to-Work Formula signed in November 2025.
