UASU Gives Government One Month to Avert Fresh University Crisis

UASU Gives Government One Month to Avert Fresh University Crisis

By Jeff Oyugi

Nairobi - September 18, 2026

The Government has been given one month to resolve a widening dispute with university lecturers over the implementation of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), with the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) warning that failure to reach a deal could trigger another strike across public universities.

UASU Secretary General Dr Constantine Wasonga said the union had given the Government and the Inter Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) until October 18, 2026, to conclude negotiations and move towards signing, registration and implementation of the agreement.

Wasonga said failure to meet the deadline would prompt the union to issue a seven day strike notice, raising the prospect of fresh disruption in learning institutions barely a year after lecturers returned to classrooms following a prolonged labour dispute.

The union's latest ultimatum has brought renewed attention to the challenges facing Kenya's public universities, including inadequate funding, shortages of permanent academic staff, increased workloads, reliance on part time lecturers and disagreements over the retirement age of university teaching staff.

According to UASU, the current impasse is particularly concerning because the parties had committed themselves under the November 2025 Return to Work Formula to conclude negotiations within a specified period.

However, the union maintains that the Government and IPUCCF have yet to present a substantive financial counter proposal, leaving key issues surrounding the new CBA unresolved.

At the heart of the dispute is the question of how academic staff salaries and benefits should be financed.

UASU has maintained that lecturers in public universities are public officers and their remuneration should therefore be funded through the Exchequer rather than depending heavily on students' fees.

The union has questioned the sustainability of a system in which universities are expected to finance staff salaries from student contributions at a time when institutions are already struggling with financial constraints.

Wasonga has also raised concerns about the Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, arguing that the proposed framework does not provide a clear mechanism for financing the remuneration of academic staff.

UASU wants legislation governing the financing of public universities to provide a clear and sustainable framework for meeting salary obligations and other staff costs.

The dispute comes against a backdrop of financial difficulties affecting several public universities, which have struggled to meet operational expenses, staff obligations and other financial commitments.

The union has also sounded the alarm over staffing levels, saying increasing student enrolment has not been matched by a corresponding rise in the number of permanent academic staff.

According to UASU, the shortage has resulted in heavier workloads for lecturers and increased reliance on part time teaching, a situation it says should not become a permanent solution to staffing gaps.

The union wants universities to review their staffing needs and consider qualified part time lecturers for absorption into permanent positions where vacancies exist.

Wasonga has argued that continued dependence on temporary teaching arrangements could undermine the quality of teaching, supervision and research, particularly as universities continue to accommodate growing numbers of students.

The retirement age of academic staff has emerged as another contentious issue.

UASU has opposed proposals or measures that could see university lecturers retire earlier, arguing that public universities risk losing experienced academics at a time when institutions are already facing significant staffing shortages.

The union says academic work extends beyond classroom teaching to research, postgraduate supervision, innovation and community service, making the retention of experienced scholars important to universities.

Wasonga has also pointed to the relatively small number of professors in the country, warning that replacing senior academics is not an overnight process because expertise and academic leadership take years to develop.

The staffing question has also become increasingly contentious at Moi University, where UASU has opposed ongoing redundancy plans affecting university employees.

The union has called for an independent staffing audit before any academic staff are declared redundant, arguing that decisions on workforce reduction should be informed by accurate data on student enrolment, teaching requirements and institutional needs.

UASU has questioned the logic of reducing the number of permanent academic staff while universities simultaneously seek part time lecturers to fill teaching gaps.

The union has further called for financial management concerns raised by oversight institutions to be addressed before redundancy processes are undertaken.

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has also come under scrutiny in the dispute, with UASU questioning its role in negotiations involving university staff.

The union has argued that SRC should provide independent advice while allowing universities and their employees to negotiate collective agreements within the applicable legal framework.

UASU has cited previous university CBAs, including the University of Nairobi's 2017–2021 agreement, as evidence of the challenges that have historically surrounded collective bargaining in the sector.

The union is seeking a more predictable mechanism for registering and implementing CBAs negotiated between individual universities and UASU chapters.

The latest confrontation is therefore not limited to salaries. It touches on the broader sustainability of Kenya's public university system, including financing, staffing, workload, employment security, retirement and collective bargaining.

For thousands of students enrolled in public universities, the unfolding dispute carries the risk of further disruption if negotiations collapse.

A fresh lecturers' strike could affect lectures, examinations, research activities and graduation schedules, potentially creating uncertainty for students already navigating an increasingly challenging higher education environment.

The October 18 deadline has consequently placed pressure on the Government, IPUCCF and UASU to find common ground before the dispute escalates into industrial action.

Wasonga has maintained that the union's preferred route remains negotiation, but the October deadline signals that patience among academic staff is wearing thin.

The coming weeks will therefore be critical for the country's public universities as the parties attempt to resolve the outstanding issues and prevent another disruption of academic programmes.

For the Government, the challenge will be to balance demands for improved remuneration and working conditions against the financial pressures facing public universities and the wider education sector.

For UASU, the immediate priority is securing an agreement that provides predictable implementation of the CBA and addresses what it considers longstanding structural problems within the university system.

With the deadline fast approaching, the outcome of the negotiations could determine whether Kenya's public universities proceed with their academic programmes uninterrupted or once again find themselves at the centre of a nationwide labour dispute.