Lecturers, Government Strike A Ksh20 Billion Deal, Ending Four-Week University Strike
Public university lecturers are set to return to class on Monday, November 2, after the government and the unions agreed verbally on a Ksh20 billion package that brings a month-long strike to an end.
University Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary-General Constantine Wesonga announced the breakthrough to journalists shortly after the talks wrapped up on Thursday. The agreement is expected to be signed on Friday, October 30.
“We have a deal on the financials. Tomorrow our technical team is going to sit down to put what we have agreed on paper,” Wesonga said.
He then turned to the striking lecturers with a message. “To comrades, start walking towards your universities. I want to assure you that from Monday, you shall have your lessons,” he said.
Before anything is signed, the unions will first go through the numbers on Friday to work out how much each staff member stands to receive under the new arrangement.
The strike began on October 2, when members of UASU, the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) and KUDHEIHA walked out, leaving 35 public institutions without lectures. They wanted fresh negotiations and full implementation of the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).
The road to Thursday’s deal was bumpy. Several rounds of talks broke down, with the government insisting it could not stretch beyond Ksh12 billion. Lecturers turned that offer down last week.
On Monday, October 26, an inter-ministerial committee returned with Ksh11.96 billion, which the unions rejected, noting that it was actually slightly lower than the earlier figure. They argued that Ksh12 billion would translate to only a 3 per cent increase in basic salary.
The government finally raised its offer to Ksh20 billion on Thursday, and the unions accepted. “Today we have agreed on a figure we have negotiated with the government, not a figure imposed on the unions,” Wesonga said.
The talks brought together union officials, university heads, Education CS Julius Ogamba, Treasury CS John Mbadi and Internal Security PS Raymond Omollo.
Meanwhile, students have grown restless over the long standoff. University of Nairobi students took to the streets this week, blocking Waiyaki Way twice in protest.
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