University lecturers vow to hold on strike

UASU Secretary General Dr Constantine Wasonga in a press conference vowing the union will not blink on the strike. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard]

The nationwide university lecturers’ strike is set to intensify  after the government tabled a reduced Sh11.9 billion counter-offer for the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), prompting the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) to reject the proposal and declare fresh escalation of the industrial action.

In a statement following Monday’s meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee, UASU Secretary General Dr Constantine Wasonga said the government’s latest offer was a reduction from the Sh12 billion proposal made on October 12, 2026, and translated to an estimated three per cent increase in basic salaries.

The union argued that the proposed increment was inadequate amid rising living costs, citing government data showing that petrol prices had increased by 20 per cent since the beginning of the year, while diesel prices had risen by 42 per cent.

“An offer that translates to only a 3 percent basic salary increment does not address the economic realities facing university staff,” Wasonga said.

The talks ended without a resolution, with UASU insisting that the government must present a credible counter-offer and commit unequivocally to funding public university staff salaries through the National Exchequer.

“The strike therefore continues,” the union declared, warning that the industrial action would be intensified until its demands were substantively addressed.

The latest deadlock comes as Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba seeks to secure additional funding from the National Treasury and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to improve the government’s proposal.

Ogamba has previously said the government was reviewing its rejected offer, initially reported at approximately Sh9.7 billion to Sh9.8 billion, to establish a financially sustainable amount that could be committed to university staff remuneration.

“We are working with SRC and the  National Treasury to improve the rejected figure, the Sh9.7 billion. Then we can call the union back to the table to give them the second offer,” Ogamba said.

The CS also said government teams were seeking Treasury commitments before presenting an improved figure to the unions, expressing optimism that negotiations could resume within days.

He has urged lecturers to return to work while discussions continue, warning that prolonged industrial action would deny students valuable learning time and disrupt university programmes.

However, UASU maintains that the dispute concerns over the adequacy of funding for the entire four-year agreement and the government's commitment to meeting its obligations.

The strike began at midnight on October 2, 2026, after negotiations over the 2025–2029 CBA stalled.

Wasonga has questioned why a four-year agreement should receive funding comparable to the previous 2021–2025 CBA, which he said consumed Sh9.7 billion over two years.

“When we negotiated the 2021–2025 CBA, for two years we consumed Sh9.7 billion, so we cannot imagine a CBA for four years can also consume Sh9.7 billion,” he said.

The union argues that a credible agreement must adequately address salary adjustments and provide certainty over how public university staff will be paid throughout the CBA period.