Public universities face a fresh shutdown after lecturers issued a 7day nationwide strike notice.
The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) announced on Wednesday, September 24, that its members will down tools from midnight September 30 if the government fails to act.
At the heart of the dispute is the stalled 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga said the government has not tabled any financial counter proposal despite months of talks at Machakos University.
The union also accuses university councils, the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury of dishonoring the Return to Work Formula signed on November 5, 2025. It says arrears from the previous CBAs remain unsettled.
According to UASU, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission disclosed on September 21 that it cannot issue constitutional advice to facilitate a deal because neither Education nor Treasury has committed in writing that CBA funding will come from the exchequer.
UASU rejected a proposal to fund lecturers from student fees and market income, saying dons are public officers whose pay must come from the Consolidated Fund.
If the strike goes ahead, learning, exams and research in all 41 public universities will be paralyzed.
