Lecturers in Kenya’s public universities could go on strike in September if the government fails to address outstanding issues surrounding the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has warned.
The union says the agreement was expected to be signed in November 2025 but has remained pending, leaving several issues affecting lecturers unresolved. UASU has maintained that the government must make progress on the current agreement before it can consider withdrawing the planned industrial action.
The warning comes shortly after the government released Ksh6.8 billion to public universities to help clear arrears owed to university staff under previous CBAs. The money covers outstanding payments from the 2017-2021 and 2021-2025 agreements.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba confirmed the release of the funds while speaking at State Lodge in Bungoma on Friday, August 14. He said the money had been sent to universities on Thursday as part of government efforts to address pending obligations and avoid disruptions in the education sector.
“I am happy to report that out of the arrears that existed between the financial years of 2017-2021 and 2021-2025, a total of Ksh6.8 billion has been released to the university as of yesterday,” Ogamba said.
However, UASU says the payment of the older arrears does not settle the issues surrounding the new CBA. The union wants the 2025-2029 agreement implemented and has also called for the outstanding arrears to be paid separately from lecturers’ normal monthly salaries.
According to the union, separating the arrears from regular salaries would make it easier for lecturers to confirm that the money owed to them has actually been paid.
The new CBA is expected to cover several areas, including lecturers’ salaries, allowances, medical insurance and general working conditions.
UASU has also raised concerns about differences in allowances among public universities.
UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga said lecturers with similar responsibilities should not receive significantly different allowances simply because they work in different institutions.
“We want salaries commensurate with our qualifications. We want harmonisation of allowances in public universities. There is no way a lecturer in one university should be getting a commuter allowance of Ksh50,000 while another one is being paid Ksh12,000 and others don’t even receive anything,” he said.
The union has also raised concerns about the growing number of students in public universities and the workload placed on lecturers. With student numbers increasing, lecturers are expected to teach large classes while also preparing continuous assessment tests, marking assignments and handling examinations.
UASU Secretary General Rongo Lucy Nyakeyo said the workload had become difficult for many lecturers and called for members to return to handling three courses, as provided for in the CBA and the law.
“As the number of students is increasing, even for dons, it is becoming a burden to handle the big classes, give a minimum of two CATs, and mark examinations. So, it is our desire that our members go back to handling three courses, as stipulated in our CBA and by law,” Nyakeyo said.
The dispute now comes as universities prepare for the next academic semester. If the government and UASU fail to reach an agreement, the planned strike could affect teaching, examinations and other academic activities in public universities.
The union is therefore calling for further discussions with the government to resolve the outstanding matters before September and prevent another disruption in the university sector.
