University strike drags on as State fails to reopen CBA talks

Education Committee member Nabii Nabwera addresses striking university staff outside Parliament. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

University staff unions are yet to be invited for fresh talks, four days after rejecting the Government’s Sh12.5 billion offer.

The stalemate is over implementing the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), paralysing learning in public universities.

With no fresh meetings announced since Monday, the unions on Thursday took their grievances to the streets, marching to Parliament, the National Treasury and the Ministry of Education to present a petition demanding a resolution to the dispute.

The demonstrations came amid growing uncertainty among students, some of whom have returned home while others remain in hostels and rented accommodation, continuing to spend money on upkeep despite the suspension of lectures.

The prolonged shutdown has also cast a shadow over upcoming graduation ceremonies, with students nearing completion of their studies struggling to clear, resolve missing marks and establish whether they will graduate as scheduled.

During Thursday’s demonstrations, Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) Secretary-General Charles Mukhwaya accused the Government of failing to make a meaningful offer despite months of negotiations, saying workers had been left with no option but to take their grievances to the streets.

“We have been at the negotiation table since last year, from September until today; negotiations are still ongoing. We have been given nothing; that is an insult,” he said.

Mukhwaya dismissed the proposed three per cent salary increment as inadequate, citing the rising cost of living, and said the unions would not call off the strike until their demands were addressed.

Public university staff stage a Nairobi protest over stalled CBA talks and unpaid arrears. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

He said the petition was being delivered to key government institutions to compel them to act, insisting that workers were exercising their constitutional right to demonstrate.

“We are not leaving the strike; we are not returning to work until our rights are paid out!” he said.

Mukhwaya urged the workers to maintain a peaceful demonstration as they presented their grievances to the Government, saying the aim is to secure an agreement that will allow the dispute to be resolved.

Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga also faulted the Government’s approach to the negotiations, arguing that the Sh12.5 billion offer had been presented without allowing unions to negotiate freely on the terms of the agreement.

Citing Article 41(5) of the Constitution, which provides for collective bargaining, he urged the Government to engage the unions instead of presenting them with a predetermined figure.

“Allow us to negotiate. Don’t impose figures on us,” said Wasonga.

He questioned how the Government had arrived at the Sh12.5 billion figure, insisting that the cost of implementing the CBA should be addressed through negotiations between the parties, adding that they want the CBA to address not only salary increments but also staff promotions, allowances, research funding, workload and the recruitment of additional lecturers.

Wasonga said public universities were understaffed and called for the employment of more lecturers, including part-time staff, arguing that the shortage was undermining the quality of university education.

''Kenya requires an additional 25000 lecturers. We want the government to employ those part-time lecturers,'' he said.

On workload, Wasonga said the unions wanted clear arrangements on how lecturers’ working hours would be divided among teaching, research and community service. He further called for research funding and promotion opportunities, saying lecturers should not remain in the same job grade for years without advancement.

Wasonga warned that the industrial action could drag on if the Government failed to change its approach, maintaining that the unions were dissatisfied with the offer.

''This strike is going to take long; this time this strike is going to take long. Those permutations you are doing there, you are wasting your time,'' he said.

The latest demonstrations have added pressure on the Government to reopen negotiations, with the unions maintaining that they will not return to work without a satisfactory agreement.

While the dispute remains unresolved, students nearing graduation are among those bearing the immediate consequences of the shutdown.

At Laikipia University, Celine Kwamboka, who expects to graduate in November, said she had started following up on missing marks before the strike but had been unable to reach the lecturer responsible for resolving the issue.

“I do not know whether the strike will end in time for me to resolve the issue and graduate as planned or whether I will have to wait another year,” she said.

Kwamboka said the uncertainty had disrupted her plans to begin applying for jobs after completing her studies, warning that a delayed graduation could cost her opportunities.

“Without my degree certificate, I worry about the opportunities I could miss and what I will do during the extra year if the issue remains unresolved,” she said, urging the Government and lecturers to reach a lasting solution through dialogue.

At Kibabii University, student Collins Otieno said the absence of lecturers who also serve as heads of departments had made it difficult for students to complete clearance. Those with missing marks were also struggling to have their academic records corrected.

Peter Shako, a student at the University of Nairobi, said the shutdown of departmental operations has made clearance difficult, claiming that lecturers had prevented non-teaching staff, including administrators and secretaries, from working.

“It is impossible to clear right now because the lecturers are gone and they bullied other staff from different departments not to work. No one is allowed to work, so even the department is closed,” he said.

The uncertainty has left students unsure whether graduation ceremonies planned for the coming weeks will proceed as scheduled, particularly where clearance and correction of academic records remain incomplete.

For students living away from home, the suspension of lectures has not brought an end to their daily expenses. Those in hostels and rented accommodation continue to spend money on food, rent and other basic needs despite not attending classes.

Others have returned to their homes as they wait for the dispute to be resolved, while uncertainty over the resumption of learning has made it difficult for students to plan their next steps.

At Karatina University, students have issued the Government a five-day ultimatum to address their concerns, warning that they will join the strike on Tuesday if the dispute remains unresolved.

“If lecturers continue to strike until Monday next week, we will join them on Tuesday until they are paid,” a student said.

The warning raises the prospect of further disruption if the stalemate persists, with students increasingly concerned about lost learning time and the possibility of delays to their academic programmes.

With the unions maintaining their position and no fresh talks announced since Monday’s rejection of the offer, the dispute remains unresolved, leaving students and university staff waiting for a breakthrough that could restore learning and avert further disruption to the academic calendar.