The union says lecturers will begin a nationwide strike at midnight on October 2 unless demands on collective bargaining and government funding are addressed.
The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has issued a seven-day notice for a nationwide lecturers’ strike, setting midnight on October 2 as the start of industrial action over stalled collective bargaining and unresolved funding commitments.
The union attributed its decision to what it described as continued failure by university councils, the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury to fulfil the Return-to-Work Formula signed on November 5, 2025.
It also accused the government of failing to present a financial counter-proposal for the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), leaving negotiations without the financial terms needed to advance an agreement.
In its statement on Thursday, UASU said other employees in the public education sector had concluded their agreements for the same bargaining period last year, while public university lecturers remained without a settlement.
Funding commitment holds up negotiations
The strike notice follows a September 21 disclosure by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) that neither the Education Ministry nor the Treasury had supplied a written commitment to finance public university CBAs through the National Exchequer.
UASU said the absence of that assurance meant the SRC could not provide the constitutional advice required to facilitate financial counter-proposals to the unions.
The union argued that the disclosure undermined the negotiations held at Machakos University since last year. Its position is that bargaining cannot produce a meaningful settlement without an explicit commitment on where the money will come from.
UASU wants the Ministry of Education and National Treasury to confirm Exchequer funding, alongside the negotiation, signing, registration and implementation of the 2025–2029 agreement.
Union rejects reliance on student fees
The union also challenged what it described as a government position that lecturers’ remuneration could be financed through student fees and market-based funding.
UASU maintained that academic staff in public universities are public officers whose pay should be secured through the National Exchequer. It cited the constitutional definition of public office and provisions concerning remuneration and benefits paid from the Consolidated Fund or money provided by Parliament.
The union questioned whether the proposed approach amounted to a shift away from publicly funded universities towards a market-based model.
It further criticised reliance on social media statements to explain the proposed university funding arrangements, saying unions should not be expected to infer policy commitments from online declarations or interpret implied protections in legislation that has not been enacted.
Legal safeguards and staff input sought
Among its demands, UASU wants the proposed Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, to explicitly protect Exchequer-funded remuneration for lecturers. The union noted that Parliament had not enacted the bill.
It also called on the government to halt what it characterised as attempts to strip public university lecturers of their public officer status.
Beyond pay and funding, UASU is seeking participation in the development of human-resource instruments for public universities being prepared by the Public Service Commission.
The union linked these demands to the quality of public university education, arguing that fair remuneration and dignity for academic staff are essential to protecting students’ futures and supporting Kenya’s socioeconomic development.
