NAIROBI, Kenya – University lecturers are expected to return to class on Monday, November 2, after unions and the government reached a verbal Sh20 billion deal to end a four-week strike that has paralysed learning in public universities.
Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga said the parties had agreed on the financial terms following negotiations involving union leaders, university heads and senior government officials.
The agreement is expected to be formally signed on Friday, October 30, after the unions review how the money will be distributed among university staff.
“We have a deal on the financials. Tomorrow our technical team is going to sit down to put what we have agreed on on pen and paper,” Wasonga said after the talks.
He urged lecturers to prepare to resume their duties, assuring students that teaching would restart at the beginning of next week.
“To comrades, start walking towards your universities. I want to assure you that from Monday, you shall have your lessons,” he said.
A Ministry of Education official said the Sh20 billion would be paid in three phases, although details of the payment schedule and individual staff allocations were still to be finalised.
Government raises offer after weeks of deadlock
The breakthrough follows weeks of unsuccessful negotiations over the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), with the government and the unions disagreeing over the amount required to implement the proposed salary and benefits package.
Lecturers and other university staff represented by UASU, the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA) began their nationwide strike on October 2.
The unions had rejected the government’s earlier offers, arguing that the proposed funding was insufficient to meet their demands.
On Monday, October 26, an inter-ministerial committee presented an offer of approximately Sh11.96 billion. The unions rejected the proposal, saying it was slightly below the Sh12 billion figure previously presented by the government.
Union officials had argued that the earlier offer would translate to only about a three per cent basic salary increase, which they considered inadequate under the new four-year CBA.
The government subsequently raised its offer to Sh20 billion on Thursday, October 29, paving the way for the verbal agreement.
Wasonga said the figure was reached through negotiations rather than imposed on the unions.
“Today we have agreed on a figure we have negotiated with the government, not a figure imposed on the unions,” he said.
Senior officials involved in negotiations
The latest round of talks brought together union representatives, university leaders, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi and Internal Security Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo.
The parties are expected to use Friday’s meeting to document the agreed financial terms and clarify how the funds will be distributed among eligible staff.
The formal signing will be a key step towards concluding the dispute, which has disrupted academic calendars and left students uncertain about the resumption of classes.
The strike also prompted student demonstrations. University of Nairobi students took to the streets earlier in the week, blocking Waiyaki Way in protest against the prolonged disruption to learning.
While the verbal agreement offers a route towards ending the standoff, the unions’ review of the proposed allocations and the formal signing remain important steps before the settlement is fully documented.
If the parties complete the process as announced, public university lecturers are expected to resume teaching on Monday, November 2.
