UASU petitions Parliament on stalled university staff CBA as lecturers’ strike continues
UASU has petitioned Parliament over the government’s failure to guarantee funding for the 2025–2029 university staff CBA, as a nationwide strike continues amid a dispute over the financial demands.
The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has submitted a petition to Kenya's Parliament over the government's failure to secure funding commitments for the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The strike by lecturers, which began on October 2, 2026, has left public universities affected. UASU Secretary-General Dr Constantine Wasonga Opiyo, KUSU Secretary-General Dr Charles Mukhwaya, and KUDHEIHA National Trustee Odoyo Genga presented the petition to the National Assembly.
The unions claim the Ministry of Education and the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) have not honored previous return-to-work agreements and have failed to make progress on the new pay agreement. The primary issue is the lack of a written government commitment to fund the CBA through the National Exchequer.
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission informed the unions in September 2026 that neither the Ministry of Education nor the National Treasury had provided such an assurance. The government and unions have yet to agree on the financial obligations required to finalize negotiations, with the government proposing Sh9.7 billion and the unions demanding Sh98 billion.
The Ministry of Education's Principal Secretary for Higher Education, Beatrice Inyangala, stated that discussions are ongoing to address the gap. The dispute extends beyond salary increments, encompassing the need for a binding agreement on funding, staff welfare protection, and the sustainability of public universities.
Written by urgent.news from Capital FM Kenya's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
