The lecturers’ union plans to intensify its strike after the government cut its bargaining offer by Sh1 billion.
The UASU pay dispute has deepened after the Universities Academic Staff Union rejected a proposed 3 per cent basic salary increase. The government also reduced its offer for the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) from Sh12 billion to Sh11 billion.
In a statement, the union said negotiations collapsed after an Inter-Ministerial Committee meeting ended without agreement. It criticised the government for presenting a lower counter-offer than its October 12 proposal.
Following the breakdown, UASU announced plans to intensify the ongoing lecturers’ strike until the government substantively addresses its demands.
UASU pay dispute centres on living costs
The union argued that the proposed increase falls short of the economic pressures facing public university staff. In particular, it said the offer does not reflect rising prices of essential goods.
To support its position, UASU cited government figures showing a 20 per cent increase in petrol prices since the year began. Diesel prices, it added, had risen by 42 per cent over the same period.
The union therefore wants the government to present a credible counter-offer and conclude negotiations for the four-year agreement. It maintained that the latest proposal does not provide a satisfactory basis for settling the dispute.
Union demands clear salary funding commitment
Beyond the salary increase, UASU demanded an unequivocal commitment to fund public university staff salaries through the National Exchequer. It described that assurance as a fundamental condition for resolving the dispute.
The union also urged public university staff to remain united as industrial action continues. Its position is that both the bargaining offer and the salary funding commitment require substantive answers.
Meanwhile, the dispute remains unresolved following the failed meeting. UASU said it would not end the strike without a satisfactory agreement addressing its demands.
