NAIROBI, November 5, 2026
Lecturers in Kenya’s public universities have threatened to return to the streets if the government fails to address lingering concerns over funding and provide a clear plan for settling pending bills.
The warning comes just days after the lecturers resumed duty this week, ending a month-long strike that was called off following a Sh20 billion agreement with the government on the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga told a joint sitting of the National Assembly’s Education and Labour Committees on Wednesday that the return-to-work formula signed on October 30 left two key issues unresolved.
“The storm might have subsided because of this return-to-work formula, but there are two issues that will make us rise again, and they are funding from student fees and non-paid remittances of Sh100 billion,” Wasonga said.
The unions are strongly opposed to any proposals that would finance university staff salaries through student fees. They argue that academic and non-academic staff in public universities are public officers whose remuneration must be funded directly from the National Exchequer, in line with the Universities Act. They have urged Parliament to amend the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, to clearly separate student financing from institutional operational costs and protect government responsibility for staff salaries.
They are also demanding a binding commitment and a clear roadmap for settling approximately Sh100 billion in outstanding debts and remittances owed to public universities. These pending bills have directly affected staff through unpaid pension contributions, statutory deductions, and other employment obligations.
Under the October 30 deal, the government committed Sh20 billion to implement the 2025–2029 CBA. The money is to be released in three annual tranches of roughly Sh6.7 billion in the 2026/27 financial year, Sh6.7 billion in 2027/28, and Sh6.6 billion in 2028/29. The package includes a 3.5 per cent annual increase in basic salaries for four years (backdated to July 1, 2025), a five per cent automatic annual increment, and improved and harmonised allowances for commuter, leave, and passage and baggage.
Wasonga insisted that the agreed Sh20 billion must be released according to the stipulated schedule and that outstanding CBA items must be concluded, signed, registered, and implemented within the agreed timelines.
The strike, which began on October 2 and involved UASU, the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU), and KUDHEIHA, disrupted teaching, learning, and research across public universities for nearly a month. Lecturers returned to class on Monday, November 2, with universities expected to adjust academic calendars to recover the lost time.
Union leaders have also sought guarantees against victimisation of members who took part in the industrial action. While the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury have committed to honouring the deal, the unions say the lack of firm legal and budgetary guarantees from the Exchequer leaves the agreement vulnerable and could trigger another round of strikes.
The development has renewed concerns among students and education stakeholders about the recurring disruption of academic programmes in public universities.