State launches fresh CBA talks as lecturers' strike enters day three

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

The government has opened negotiations with university lecturers’ unions as their strike entered its third day, with a conciliator appointed by the Ministry of Labour leading efforts to resolve the dispute over the 2025-29 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The talks, which began at 10 am yesterday, bring together the government and representatives of the University Academic Staff Union (UASU), Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) and other unions representing university staff.

The conciliation team is led by David Njagi, who was appointed by the Ministry of Labour to help broker a settlement to the dispute.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba confirmed that negotiations had commenced but declined to disclose details of the issues under discussion, saying the parties were still at the negotiating table.

“As we speak, that team has started this morning from 10 o’clock, and they are now negotiating on the issues that are outstanding with respect to the CBA of the university lecturers, UASU, KUSU, and TUDA, for the CBA of 2025-2029,” Ogamba said.

“So I will not be able to give you any information as we speak. The negotiations now are taking place, and maybe within the next few days, we’ll be able to reach a decision.”

The negotiations come as the lecturers’ strike continues to disrupt teaching and learning in public universities.

Ogamba, however, maintained that the strike should end, saying courts had declared the industrial action unconstitutional.

“However, the courts have declared the strike unconstitutional, and I keep urging the lecturers and the individual unions, together with the individual lecturers, to obey the court orders, because nobody lives above the law,” he said.

The CS urged lecturers to return to the classrooms while allowing the negotiating team to work towards a settlement. “I urge them to go back to class as we continue negotiating, and I am sure we are going to be able to resolve that issue of the CBA of 2025-29.”

Ogamba pointed to the settlement of previous CBAs as evidence of the government’s commitment to addressing the current dispute.

He said arrears arising from the 2017-21 and 2021-25 CBAs were fully settled. “This government, again under the guidance of His Excellency the President, has been able to resolve the outstanding issues of the CBAs of the universities that were outstanding for 2017-21 and 2021-25, whose arrears have actually been fully settled.”

The CS said the government had demonstrated its commitment to the welfare of university lecturers and would similarly work towards resolving the current agreement.

The negotiations are expected to determine whether the government and unions can reach common ground on the outstanding issues and bring the strike to an end.

Ogamba appealed to lecturers not to prolong the industrial action because of its impact on students. “I request that the lecturers do not proceed with this strike, the learning of our students in universities,” he said, before urging them to return to class and allow the negotiating team to continue with the talks.