Government, Unions Strike Sh7.9 Billion Deal to End 49-Day University Lecturers’ Strike

Government, Unions Strike Sh7.9 Billion Deal to End 49-Day University Lecturers’ Strike.

From Left- UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga, Education CS Julius Ogamba, Higher Education PS Beatrice Inyangala and KUSU Secretary General Charles Mukhwaya after signing the Return to Work Fomula on November 5, 2025.

By Jeff Oyugi.

Nairobi, November 5, 2025.

After 49 days of industrial paralysis across public universities, the nationwide lecturers' strike has officially been called off following a breakthrough agreement between the Ministry of Education, the National Treasury and university unions.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba announced that all the contentious issues that led to the strike's escalation had been conclusively resolved, paving the way for the immediate resumption of academic activities in all 42 public universities.

The prolonged strike, which began in mid-September, had disrupted learning for over 600,000 students, paralyzing teaching, examinations and research across institutions of higher learning.

The industrial action, led by the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU), was triggered by three key grievances, the implementation delays of the 2021 to 2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), Failure to begin negotiations for the 2025 to 2029 CBA and Unresolved arrears from the 2017 to 2021 CBA, which unions claimed amounted to Sh7.9 billion.

CS Ogamba confirmed that while the first issue was addressed before the strike notice lapsed with the government releasing the pending Sh2.73 billion in July, disputes over the earlier 2017 to 2021 CBA became the main sticking point.

According to the Ministry, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) had initially assessed the outstanding arrears at Sh624 million, while unions insisted the figure stood at Sh7.9 billion.

A joint technical verification exercise by the Ministry, SRC and the unions established that Sh7.76 billion was indeed unpaid, excluding Sh200 million already held by universities.

After weeks of intense back and forth including mediation by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and a late intervention by the Parliamentary Committee on Education, the parties agreed on a two-tranche payment plan.

Under the deal, the government will release Sh3.85 billion by December 31, 2025, and a similar amount in July 2026. The payment will settle all outstanding arrears from the 2017 to 2021 CBA.

In addition, the Ministry and unions signed a Return-to-Work Formula, which guarantees that no disciplinary action will be taken against staff who participated in the strike, employees on contract will not face non-renewal of contracts due to the strike and universities will reorganize academic calendars to ensure students recover lost time without additional cost.

Flanked by government officials, UASU Secretary General Dr. Constantine Wasonga confirmed the end of the industrial action, saying the union had received "a firm commitment" from the government.

"The strike is over, the Ministry of Education, the National Treasury and the university councils have committed to release the Sh7.9 billion in two equal tranches," said Dr. Wasonga. "While we did not secure full payment at once, we've achieved what we went out for, a binding agreement. If the government honours this deal, there shall be no strike up to 2030.

KUSU Secretary General Dr. Charles Mukhwaya echoed the sentiment, saying the unions had exercised good faith for the sake of students and the academic calendar.

"This strike has been called off because we've reached an acceptable compromise guided by the Ministry and supported by the Deputy President," Dr. Mukhwaya stated. "We are confident the government will honour its side of the bargain. Our members will resume work immediately.”

CS Ogamba reaffirmed the government's resolve to prevent future disruptions in the higher education sector. He announced the establishment of an inter-ministerial CBA Implementation Committee to monitor the rollout of all future agreements in real time.

"We are putting in place a structure to ensure that signed CBAs are implemented as agreed," said Ogamba"Our goal is to make university strikes a thing of the past and allow institutions to focus on their core mandate that are teaching, research and innovation.”

The CS further noted that negotiations for the 2025 to 2029 CBA will be concluded and registered within 30 days, in line with a prior agreement to ensure CBAs are settled at the start of their cycles to avoid future arrears.

Universities have been directed to restructure their academic programmes to recover the nearly two months lost during the strike. Vice-chancellors are expected to issue revised academic calendars within a week.

"The students should not suffer for challenges that were not of their making," Ogamba said.“We've agreed with universities to ensure recovery of lost time without extending semesters or imposing extra costs."

The end of the 49-day strike marks a significant milestone in Kenya's higher education sector, which has faced recurrent disruptions over delayed CBA implementations.

With both the government and unions pledging to uphold the new framework, stakeholders expressed hope that this agreement would usher in a new era of industrial harmony in universities.

"We have fought, we have negotiated and we have agreed. Now it's time to rebuild trust and focus on our students," said Dr. Wasonga.

Classes are expected to resume immediately across all public universities beginning Thursday, November 6, 2025.