University lecturers have rejected a 3 per cent salary increment, insisting they will not resume teaching until the government signs and implements their 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The lecturers, who are continuing their strike that began on October 2, 2026, say negotiations with the government have failed to yield a satisfactory agreement despite months of talks.
Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) National Chairperson Dr Grace Nyongesa said the lecturers would not return to work until their demands were addressed.
“We are here because we are on strike. We have rejected the 3% increment and will not resume work until our CBA is signed,” Nyongesa said.
She further demanded that the money required to implement the agreement be provided through the Exchequer rather than funds collected by individual universities through fees.
“Any attempt to change what was already signed will be rejected,” she added.
Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) Secretary-General Dr Charles Mukhwaya said the unions had been engaging the government since September 2025 but had yet to achieve a meaningful resolution.
Mukhwaya described the 3 per cent increment as inadequate, citing the rising cost of living and the financial pressures facing workers.
He said the unions had expected the government to conclude negotiations and implement the CBA but accused officials of failing to act on their demands.
The union leaders said they planned to present their grievances to Parliament, the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury to push for action.
UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wesonga said the union issued its strike notice on September 24 before commencing industrial action on October 2.
He said the lecturers were demanding negotiations and the signing of the 2025–2029 CBA, questioning how the proposed KSh12 billion figure had been arrived at.
Wesonga argued that the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), university vice-chancellors and the Ministry of Education should not determine terms on behalf of lecturers without negotiations with their unions.
He also raised concerns over the remuneration of part-time lecturers, saying their rates needed to be negotiated to ensure fair compensation.
Beyond salaries, the unions are demanding the recruitment of an additional 25,000 lecturers to address understaffing in public universities.
According to figures presented by the union, Kenya has approximately 700,000 university students and 10,000 lecturers, about 1,000 of whom are engaged in administrative roles.
The unions are also calling for the employment of more part-time lecturers to ease the staffing shortage.
They further want negotiations on lecturers’ workloads, including how the 40-hour working week should be divided among teaching, research and community service.
Wesonga said research funding should also be included in the negotiations, arguing that lecturers should not be expected to finance their academic research from personal resources.
The unions have additionally called for funding to facilitate promotions, claiming that some lecturers have remained in the same job grades for more than 20 years.
They want the government to provide resources for career progression under the CBA, similar to arrangements for teachers.
The lecturers maintained that the strike would continue until negotiations were concluded and their outstanding concerns addressed, raising uncertainty over the resumption of normal learning activities at affected universities.
