NAIROBI, Kenya- University lecturers and staff across Kenya remain steadfast in their strike, accusing the government of dragging its feet on implementing the 2021/2025 collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
Members of the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) and Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) have taken to the streets, citing deteriorating working conditions caused by the delay.
Now entering its second week, the strike has paralyzed learning in universities nationwide.
From Nairobi to Narok, campuses are eerily silent as academic staff refuse to return to work until their grievances are heard.
At Maasai Mara University, located along the Mulot-Narok highway, lecturers gathered in a public protest, sending a clear message to the government: honor the CBA or the strike will continue.
UASU Narok branch Secretary General, Boniface Salambo, has been vocal about the union’s demands, calling for the harmonization of staff allowances across all universities.
Salambo urged other institutions to join the strike, increasing pressure on the government to resolve the issue.
Despite a ruling from the Employment and Labour Relations Court ordering the lecturers to call off their industrial action, the unions remain unmoved.
The court suggested a dialogue between the government and the unions to resolve the matter, but the lecturers insist that only concrete action on the CBA will bring them back to the classrooms.
“We will not be silenced by court rulings,” Salambo declared during the Maasai Mara protest. “Our working conditions are deteriorating, and we deserve the allowances promised in the CBA.”
As the strike continues, the disruption to university operations grows more severe. Thousands of students face uncertain academic futures, and pressure on the government to act mounts daily.
