University lecturers, under the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), have issued a stern ultimatum to the government, threatening industrial action if their salary arrears and December wages remain unpaid by January 15, 2025.
The union, in a statement on January 1, criticized the government’s repeated delays in implementing the 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Despite promises, including a directive from Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala in September 2024, lecturers received their December salaries without the promised increments.
At the core of the dispute is a KES 9.7 billion CBA signed between UASU and the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF). The agreement outlined payments in three tranches: KES 4.3 billion for the first nine months through June 2025, and two subsequent installments of KES 2.7 billion each.
“University management claims they haven’t received funds from the government to facilitate the payments,” stated UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga. The union has also called for the resignation of Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, accusing him of failing to implement the agreement.
The lecturers previously staged a three-week strike in September 2024, which paralyzed operations across Kenya’s 35 public universities. While the industrial action was suspended following a return-to-work deal, unresolved payment disputes now threaten a renewed standoff.
In a recent parliamentary meeting involving UASU, IPUCCF, and the Inter-Ministerial Committee, the union proposed accepting an initial payment, provided the government commits to settling the remaining arrears over two fiscal years.
The union has warned that the next strike will be “tougher” and has urged swift government action to avoid disruption. “We must recover lost academic time,” Wasonga reassured stakeholders, outlining plans to extend teaching hours and weekend classes should another strike materialize.
