Lecturers end month-long strike after signing Sh20 billion deal with government
Lecturers match on the street during a recent UASU strike. PHOTO/ COURTESY
Public university lecturers are set to resume teaching on Monday after unions signed a Sh20 billion agreement with the government, ending a nationwide strike that disrupted learning for nearly four weeks.
The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) and KUDHEIHA signed a return-to-work formula on Friday, October 30, paving the way for the reopening of lecture halls across public universities.
The agreement provides for a 3.5 per cent annual increase in basic salaries over the four-year 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), alongside a five per cent annual increment for university employees.
UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga said the deal was reached through negotiations rather than an imposed government offer, following weeks of disagreements over salaries and allowances.
“We have agreed on a figure we have negotiated with the government, not a figure imposed on the union,” Wasonga said.
The Sh20 billion package will be released in three instalments, with Sh6.7 billion allocated in the 2026/2027 financial year, another Sh6.7 billion in 2027/2028 and the remaining Sh6.6 billion in 2028/2029.
Besides the salary adjustments, the agreement provides for harmonisation of commuter allowances, with employees in the lowest cadre set to receive Sh18,000 monthly, up from Sh3,500.
It also covers improved leave, passage and baggage allowances, as well as outstanding salary and allowance arrears.
The agreement further protects employees who participated in the strike, with all disciplinary proceedings initiated against staff during the industrial action set to be withdrawn.
Employees serving on fixed-term contracts will also not be disadvantaged in the renewal of their contracts because of their participation in the strike.
Wasonga urged lecturers to return to their duties, saying the union had secured its objectives through the negotiated settlement.
Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala said the agreement would facilitate the immediate resumption of teaching, learning, research and other academic programmes.
Lecturers’ demands
The strike began on October 2 after negotiations over the 2025–2029 CBA failed to produce an acceptable settlement.
UASU had rejected the government’s initial Sh9.76 billion proposal, arguing that the allocation was insufficient to address staff remuneration demands over the four-year period.
The unions had sought salary increases ranging between 36 and 68 per cent, depending on employees’ job grades, alongside improved housing and other allowances. Their demands also covered medical insurance, car loans, mortgage arrangements and concerns over understaffing in public universities.
The lecturers had further insisted that staff salaries should be financed through the National Exchequer rather than student fees, adding to disagreements between the unions, the government and university councils.
The industrial action disrupted academic calendars across public universities, with thousands of students missing lectures and facing uncertainty over examinations and graduation timelines. University of Nairobi students had also taken to the streets on Tuesday to demand an end to the impasse.
With the return-to-work formula signed, universities are now expected to work with staff and students to adjust academic calendars and recover the nearly four weeks of lost learning time as institutions prepare to resume normal operations on Monday.
The settlement also brings relief to university administrations that had faced mounting pressure to restore academic activities amid growing student frustration and uncertainty over the academic year.
The disruption had raised concerns over delayed examinations, graduation ceremonies and the ability of institutions to complete their scheduled programmes within the academic calendar.
The government and university councils will now be expected to implement the agreed financial commitments within the stipulated timelines to prevent a recurrence of the industrial dispute.
For thousands of students, the immediate priority will be recovering lost teaching time and ensuring that the strike does not further delay their academic progression.
