NAIROBI, Kenya – The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has asked Parliament to protect lecturers’ salaries, pensions and collective bargaining agreements from fluctuations in student fees as lawmakers consider sweeping changes to Kenya’s tertiary education funding system.
In a memorandum to the National Assembly Committee on Education, UASU Secretary General Constantine Opiyo Wasonga called for substantial amendments to the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, arguing that financing individual students does not automatically provide universities with the resources needed to run their institutions.
The union wants the proposed law to guarantee adequate and predictable government funding for public universities, warning that institutions could face pressure to rely on tuition fees, loan recoveries and commercial borrowing to meet employment and operational costs if institutional financing is not clearly protected.
“The Union recommends that the Bill should not be enacted in its current form without substantive amendments addressing the financing and sustainability of public Universities,” Wasonga said in the submission.
The intervention puts the financial security of university employees at the centre of debate over the proposed reforms, which seek to reorganise how students are placed in tertiary institutions and receive financial support.
Why UASU Wants Salaries Protected
UASU argues that universities have obligations that continue regardless of how many students enrol, how much tuition is collected or how quickly student loans are repaid.
These include salaries, pension contributions, collective bargaining agreement commitments, teaching, research and the maintenance of essential university services.
The union cautioned that if institutions are expected to meet salary obligations from student fees or commercially raised funds, remuneration could become vulnerable to changes in enrolment, fee collection, loan recovery and borrowing conditions.
“The Union underscores that the distinction is fundamental because funding the student is not equivalent to funding the University,” the memorandum states.
UASU is therefore asking MPs to insert explicit provisions requiring sufficient and predictable funding through the National Exchequer and parliamentary appropriations.
The proposed safeguards would seek to ensure that employment obligations are not undermined by fluctuations in the money universities receive from students or other uncertain revenue streams.
What the Tertiary Education Funding Bill Proposes
The Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, seeks to establish a Tertiary Education Funding Authority (TEFA) and consolidate functions currently handled by the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), the Universities Fund and the TVET Funding Board.
It also proposes a statutory framework for the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS). The legislation is part of a wider package of education reforms before Parliament.
The proposed authority is intended to coordinate tertiary education financing, including student loans and scholarships. The government has defended the broader reform agenda as a way to meet rising demand for higher education and improve coordination of funding.
However, UASU says the law must make a clear distinction between assistance provided to students and the institutional resources needed to deliver education.
The union’s position is that a system that expands access without guaranteeing universities sufficient operating funds could leave institutions struggling to meet their obligations.
The Bill remains proposed legislation and is not yet law. Parliament’s Education Committee has been considering the reforms and stakeholder submissions.
Union Seeks Protection for CBAs and Existing Rights
Beyond salaries, UASU wants the legislation to safeguard existing collective bargaining agreements, employment rights, pension obligations, scholarships, loans and institutional commitments during the transition to the new funding authority.
The union argues that the shift to a new funding structure should not weaken commitments already made to university staff or disrupt existing arrangements for students.
It has also called for public university management and recognised academic staff unions to be represented on the boards of TEFA and the placement service.
According to the union, involving those who understand the operational realities of universities would help ensure that funding decisions reflect the needs of teaching, research and institutional administration.
Research and Infrastructure Also Need Dedicated Funding
UASU is also proposing a financing structure that separates student support from institutional operations and capital development.
Under its recommendations, government and development partners would help finance research facilities, laboratories, libraries and other essential infrastructure, rather than leaving universities to depend on uncertain income streams to maintain them.
The union says predictable institutional funding is necessary to sustain academic programmes and research while the government pursues wider access to higher education.
Its submission adds another dimension to the debate over the proposed reforms: how to expand student access without leaving universities responsible for financing obligations that student-level funding may not adequately cover.
What Happens Next?
UASU wants Parliament to amend the Bill before enactment, with the proposed safeguards covering institutional funding, staff remuneration, existing agreements, governance and infrastructure.
The Education Committee’s consideration of the proposals will help determine which recommendations are taken forward in the legislative process.
The central question raised by the union is whether the new funding framework will provide a clear and reliable source of money for universities themselves, alongside support for individual learners.
