Oyominto TV News
Public universities across Kenya have been thrown into disruption after lecturers and other university staff began a nationwide strike over the implementation of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The industrial action began on October 2, 2026, following the collapse of negotiations between university staff unions and the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum.
The strike has affected teaching and learning activities in institutions across the country, leaving thousands of students uncertain about lectures, examinations and other academic programmes.
The Universities Academic Staff Union, UASU, and Kenya University Staff Union, KUSU, are among the unions participating in the strike, alongside KUDHEIHA workers.
The unions say the dispute is not simply about salaries but also concerns the implementation of agreements governing staff welfare, working conditions and terms of employment.
According to Citizen Digital, the unions rejected proposals presented during negotiations, arguing that employment terms should be negotiated through a collective bargaining process rather than imposed through government circulars.
UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga has maintained that the strike follows prolonged delays in implementing commitments contained in the 2025–2029 CBA.
The disagreement has placed the government and university councils under pressure to return to the negotiating table and find a solution.
The latest strike is particularly significant because it comes after previous disputes between university staff and the government over remuneration and implementation of collective bargaining agreements.
The unions have accused university councils, the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury of failing to honour commitments made to academic staff.
The government side, however, has previously sought to negotiate within the available financial resources, creating a difficult balancing act between workers’ demands and the financial pressures facing public universities.
For students, the biggest concern is the disruption to the academic calendar.
Students who were expecting to attend lectures, sit examinations or complete assignments may now have to wait until the dispute is resolved.
The disruption could also affect students approaching the end of their academic programmes, particularly those preparing for graduation, internships, research projects and final examinations.
Universities may eventually be forced to adjust their academic calendars to recover time lost during the industrial action.
The strike has also renewed debate about the state of higher education in Kenya.
University lecturers have increasingly raised concerns about workload, staffing levels, salaries and the general conditions under which academic staff operate.
The unions argue that universities cannot maintain quality education if lecturers are inadequately compensated and institutions remain understaffed.
Students, on the other hand, are caught between the competing interests of the government and university employees.
Many students depend on university programmes to complete their education within specific periods, and prolonged disruptions could create additional financial and social challenges.
The situation has also raised questions about the sustainability of public university financing.
Universities are expected to provide quality education while operating within limited budgets. At the same time, academic staff are demanding improved terms that they say are necessary to attract and retain qualified professionals.
The current dispute therefore extends beyond the question of salary increments.
It touches on how Kenya funds public universities, how collective bargaining agreements are implemented and how competing demands for public resources are balanced.
The government and university leadership now face growing pressure to reach an agreement before the strike causes further disruption.
For students, the hope is that negotiations will produce a solution that allows learning to resume without further interruption.
Until then, lecture halls across the country are likely to remain affected, with students waiting for clarity on when normal academic activities will return.
The lecturers’ strike has once again exposed the delicate relationship between public university financing, staff welfare and students’ right to uninterrupted education.
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