NAIROBI, Kenya – The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has given the government seven days to honour pending Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) or face a nationwide strike in all public universities.
UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga, speaking on Wednesday, accused the government of failing to implement negotiated and registered CBAs despite a court directive.
“CBA arrears have accumulated to Ksh.3.27 billion. This is one of the CBAs that have not been honoured. The court had issued a directive for more funds to be allocated to cater for the CBAs, but the government has not yet complied. We expected the monies to be paid before the onset of the September term,” said Wasonga.
The strike notice, dated September 10, 2025, has been signed by 41 universities. UASU has also demanded the immediate negotiation of the 2025/2026 CBA, noting that “other education sector members have already negotiated their CBAs and are enjoying the benefits.”
According to Wasonga, the strike will officially commence on Wednesday, September 17, and will continue until all the demands are fully met.
“The Ministry of Education has been playing PR, saying ‘we are going to pay.’ We will respond in the same style, the dons are back on the streets,” he added.
The looming strike comes barely a day after Moi University lecturers called off their industrial action following talks with the university council.
The council agreed to withdraw redundancy letters issued to staff and resolve other grievances on a case-by-case basis.
In January, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba reconstituted Moi University’s council, saying the changes were necessary to restore stability after years of governance challenges.
If UASU makes good on its threat, learning in public universities could grind to a halt from next week, affecting tens of thousands of students.
