Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba has called on striking university lecturers to return to work, saying the government is ready to address the dispute over their employment agreement.
The appeal came as teaching remained disrupted at public universities following a nationwide strike by members of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU).
The unions began the strike on October 2 after talks with the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) failed to produce an agreement on the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Ogamba promises government action
Speaking at the World Teachers’ Day celebrations on Monday, CS Ogamba said the government had honoured previous CBA obligations and would approach the latest agreement in the same spirit.
He said arrears under the 2017–2021 and 2022–2025 agreements had been settled.
“It is with this same spirit that we are committed to timely negotiation and conclusion of future Collective Bargaining Agreements, including the 2025–2029 CBA,” Ogamba said.
He also appealed to university staff to resume teaching, arguing that the outstanding issues could be resolved through negotiations.
“I therefore call upon university staff unions and our individual lecturers to reciprocate the good faith, obey the orders of the court and return to work,” he said.
Unions reject proposed Sh9.76 billion package
The unions, however, have maintained that the government has not adequately addressed their concerns.
They rejected a proposed Sh9.76 billion settlement, saying the figure had not been agreed through negotiations. UASU has argued that the amount does not cover the full scope of the four-year agreement.
UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga said the new CBA covers issues beyond basic salaries, including allowances, car loans and mortgages.
The unions have also objected to employment terms being determined through government circulars rather than a negotiated CBA.
The dispute has already disrupted teaching and other university operations in parts of the country.
Strike follows collapse of talks
The industrial action followed the breakdown of negotiations between the unions and IPUCCF.
UASU and KUSU say they have exhausted available channels of engagement and want the 2025–2029 agreement negotiated, concluded and implemented.
The government, meanwhile, has urged the unions to return to work while the outstanding issues are addressed.
The disagreement reflects a wider dispute over how public university staff salaries and working conditions should be negotiated and funded.
Teachers seek shorter CBA cycle
The university dispute comes as teachers employed through the Teachers Service Commission are separately pushing for shorter CBA review periods.
President William Ruto has said he is prepared to consider reducing the current four-year cycle to two years once the existing 2025–2029 agreement is completed.
“Because we have signed the current one, we will return to the two-year plan when it’s over,” Ruto said during the World Teachers’ Day celebrations.
The current teachers’ CBA was signed in July 2025, with salary increases being implemented in phases. The government has also said the 2026–2027 budget includes an additional Sh8.1 billion to support implementation.
For university lecturers, however, the immediate question remains whether negotiations can break the deadlock and bring them back to lecture halls.
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