UASU: Kenya Lecturers Pay Strike Notice Issued Over CBA Funding

• The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has issued a seven-day strike notice, with a nationwide strike set to begin on October 2, 2026.
• The strike stems from the government's failure to honor a 2025 Return-to-Work Formula and provide a financial counter-proposal for the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
• The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) could not provide constitutional advice due to the absence of a written commitment from the Ministry of Education or National Treasury for CBA funding from the National Exchequer.
• UASU asserts that public university academic staff are public officers whose salaries must be funded by the National Exchequer, not student fees or market-based sources.
• The union demands the implementation of the 2025-2029 CBA, Exchequer funding, and safeguards for remuneration through the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026.

The union argues that academic staff in public universities are constitutionally defined public officers whose remuneration must be secured directly from the National Exchequer.

The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has announced a seven-day strike notice, signaling that lecturers across Kenya's public universities will commence a nationwide industrial action at midnight on Friday, October 2, 2026. This significant development follows the alleged failure by university councils, the Ministry of Education, and the National Treasury to uphold the terms of a Return-to-Work Formula that was formally agreed upon and signed on November 5, 2025.

According to UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga, a primary catalyst for the impending strike is the government's inability to present a financial counter-proposal for the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The union has voiced strong dissatisfaction, highlighting that while other employees within the public education sector successfully concluded their 2025-2029 CBAs last year, public university lecturers feel neglected and abandoned in these critical negotiations concerning their remuneration.

A key point of contention emerged on Monday, September 21, when the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) informed university-sector unions that neither the Ministry of Education nor the National Treasury had provided a written commitment to fund the Kenya public university CBA from the National Exchequer. This lack of a formal funding assurance prevented the SRC from issuing the constitutional advice required to facilitate financial counter-proposals to the unions, effectively stalling negotiations.

UASU contends that this disclosure from the SRC confirms that ongoing negotiations at Machakos University since the previous year were ultimately futile. The union asserts that the government was aware, throughout this period, that the National Treasury had not issued the conventional funding commitment, typically signed by the Principal Secretary. Furthermore, UASU has raised concerns that the government's stance appears to favor funding public university lecturers from student fees and other market-based sources, which the union views as an attempt to re-designate academic staff outside the category of public officers. The union firmly argues that academic staff in public universities are indeed public officers, whose remuneration, as per constitutional requirements, must be secured directly from the National Exchequer.

In response to the ongoing impasse, UASU has outlined several critical demands. Foremost among these is the immediate conclusion and implementation of the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement. The union also insists on a clear government commitment to ensure that this agreement is funded through the National Exchequer, aligning with their interpretation of constitutional provisions for public officer remuneration.

Additionally, UASU is advocating for the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, currently under parliamentary consideration, to explicitly safeguard the remuneration of academic staff through dedicated funding from the Exchequer. The union also seeks active participation in the development of human resource instruments for public universities, which are presently being formulated by the Public Service Commission, to ensure the comprehensive protection of academic staff rights.

This impending Universities Academic Staff Union strike carries significant implications for Kenya's higher education sector and public finance. The dispute over Kenya lecturers pay highlights fundamental questions regarding the funding mechanisms for public universities and the constitutional status of academic staff as public officers. Should the strike proceed, it would disrupt academic activities nationwide, affecting thousands of students and potentially setting a precedent for future public sector labor disputes.

For legal and compliance professionals, this situation underscores the complexities of public officer remuneration and the critical role of the National Exchequer in funding such obligations. The progress of the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, will be closely watched, as its provisions could redefine the financial landscape for public universities and the security of academic staff salaries, potentially influencing future industrial relations and government policy.

Lawyers advising public universities or government entities must prepare for potential industrial action and address the legal implications of funding public officer remuneration from the National Exchequer. Compliance officers should monitor this dispute for precedents on public sector employment and the progress of the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026.

Source: Original reporting via The Standard