Lecturers' strike deepens as talks between university unions, government collapse
Union leaders walked out of the meeting, accusing the government of failing to honour commitments on outstanding salary arrears under the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).
A month-long disruption in public universities continued to escalate after negotiations between university staff unions and the government failed to yield a resolution.
Talks held at Machakos University on Monday between the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) and representatives of the Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu), Kenya Universities Staff Union (Kusu), and Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (Kudheiha) ended without an agreement.
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Union leaders walked out of the meeting, accusing the government of failing to honour commitments on outstanding salary arrears under the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).
“Watasoma next year (they will study next year),” said Uasu Secretary-General Dr Constantine Wasonga as quoted by the Daily Nation, warning that academic sessions could be delayed if the dispute is not resolved.
The breakdown followed the presentation of a technical committee report that contradicted earlier figures from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
The audit indicated that a total of Sh16.57 billion is required to settle dues owed to staff, of which the government has released Sh8.8 billion, leaving a remaining Sh7.77 billion unpaid.
The SRC had previously claimed only Sh624 million was due, a figure dismissed by the committee as inconsistent with court-approved calculations.
The standoff signals a growing crisis in the higher education sector, with thousands of students unable to attend classes.
“Dons shall remain on strike until the two remaining demands are implemented in total,” Wasonga said, emphasising the unions’ determination to push for full payment.
The meeting had been convened by Taita-Taveta University Vice-Chancellor Prof Fred Simiyu Barasa, who chairs the IPUCCF Joint Negotiations Committee.
A letter dated October 10, 2025, invited the union leadership to discuss and approve the findings of a joint technical committee tasked with auditing the implementation of the 2017–2021 CBAs.
However, just hours before the meeting, Uasu released a statement rejecting the consultative forum’s counteroffer and the SRC guidelines for negotiations on the 2025–2029 CBAs.
The union argued that final offers were being presented without a real chance for negotiation, which they said contravened Article 41(5) of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.
“A keen reading of the SRC beacons and the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum counter offer shows that they are final offers and the union has not been given a chance to negotiate as per Article 41(5) of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. The union, therefore, recommends that SRC beacons should provide ranges within which parties can negotiate and not give final positions,” the union said in a statement signed by Wasonga and dated October 13.
With the deadlock unresolved, public university staff remain on strike, leaving the academic calendar uncertain and students’ learning prospects in jeopardy.
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