UASU Lecturers Strike Notice Kenya: 7-Day Ultimatum Over CBA

• The Universities Academic Staff Union issued a seven-day strike notice on September 24, with industrial action set to begin on October 2.
• The strike is prompted by the government's failure to honor a Return-to-Work Formula and provide a financial counter-proposal for the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
• The Salaries and Remuneration Commission confirmed that neither the Ministry of Education nor the National Treasury committed to funding public university CBAs via the National Exchequer.
• UASU rejects the idea of funding lecturers from student fees, asserting that academic staff are public officers whose remuneration should come from the National Exchequer.
• The union demands the negotiation, signing, and implementation of the 2025–2029 CBA, explicit Exchequer funding commitments, and protection of lecturers' public officer status.

Academic staff in public universities are public officers.

The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has issued a seven-day strike notice, signaling an impending nationwide industrial action by lecturers across Kenya's public universities. The strike is slated to commence at midnight on October 2, following the notice given on September 24. This drastic measure stems from the persistent failure by university councils, the Ministry of Education, and the National Treasury to honor a Return-to-Work Formula that was signed on November 5, 2025.

Furthermore, a key driver for the planned Kenya public university strike is the government's failure to present a financial counter-proposal for the 2025–2029 Lecturers Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The Universities Academic Staff Union highlights a significant disparity, noting that other employees within the public education sector successfully concluded their 2025–2029 CBAs last year, while public university lecturers have been left without a resolution. This situation has led UASU to declare that negotiations held at Machakos University since last year have ultimately proven to be an exercise in futility.

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) revealed on September 21 that neither the Ministry of Education nor the National Treasury had provided a written commitment to ensure SRC university CBA funding would be sourced from the National Exchequer. This lack of a formal commitment from the relevant government entities prevented the SRC from issuing the necessary constitutional advice, which is a prerequisite for facilitating financial counter-proposals to the unions regarding the Kenya Ministry of Education CBA.

A major point of contention for UASU is the government's implied position that funding for public university lecturers could be derived from student fees and other market-based funding mechanisms. The union vehemently rejects this stance, asserting that academic staff in public universities are unequivocally public officers. UASU maintains that lecturers' remuneration must be secured from the National Exchequer, citing the constitutional definition of public office and the requirement that such remuneration and benefits be payable from the Consolidated Fund or through money provided by Parliament. The union also criticized the reliance on social media statements concerning the proposed new university funding model and questioned whether public universities are transitioning into market-based institutions, rejecting the interpretation of implied meanings in the un-enacted Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026.

In response to these ongoing disputes, UASU has articulated several key demands. The union insists that the 2025–2029 Lecturers Collective Bargaining Agreement must be negotiated, signed, registered, and fully implemented. Crucially, this requires a firm commitment from the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury that the CBA will be funded through the National Exchequer. UASU also demands an immediate cessation of any government attempts to undermine the public officer status of public university lecturers.

Furthermore, the union seeks explicit safeguards within any proposed tertiary education funding legislation to ensure that lecturers' remuneration remains secured from the Exchequer. UASU also expects to participate in the development of human-resource instruments for public universities, which are currently being formulated by the Public Service Commission. The Universities Academic Staff Union underscores that fair remuneration for academic staff is vital for maintaining the quality of public university education, safeguarding the future of students, and contributing to Kenya's broader socioeconomic development. The impending UASU lecturers strike notice Kenya highlights the critical nature of these unresolved issues.

Lawyers advising public universities, the Ministry of Education, or the National Treasury in Kenya should prepare for potential industrial action and review the legal implications of stalled Collective Bargaining Agreements, particularly regarding public officer status and Exchequer funding commitments. This dispute could set precedents for future public sector remuneration negotiations.

Source: Original reporting via Capital FM Kenya