The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has told Parliament the government must fully and immediately implement the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for public university lecturers and staff. The union warned that another crisis in public universities could follow if the deal is not honoured.
UASU Secretary General Constantine Wesonga made the case on Wednesday 4 November 2026. He appeared before the Parliamentary Committees on Labour and Education.
What UASU told Parliament
Wesonga said the matters before the committees go beyond concluding one round of collective bargaining. He said the government has a duty to fund public universities adequately and to protect workers’ labour rights. UASU maintains that public universities cannot deliver quality teaching, research, innovation and community service on inadequate funding.
The union also rejected any suggestion that staff employment, or the payment of negotiated CBAs, should depend on student numbers or on the payment of university fees.
UASU said it remains committed to negotiations under the Return to Work Formula it signed recently. It asked the government to honour its commitments. The union said the agreed KSh 20 billion must be released in the agreed instalments, and that the outstanding CBA items must be concluded within the agreed timelines.
What the agreement provides
The agreement was signed on 30 October 2026. The government committed to release KSh 20 billion in three instalments.
| Financial year | Instalment |
|---|---|
| 2026/2027 | KSh 6.7 billion |
| 2027/2028 | KSh 6.7 billion |
| 2028/2029 | KSh 6.6 billion |
Under the deal:
- Lecturers receive a 3.5 per cent annual increase in basic salary for four years, effective 1 July 2025.
- Lecturers also receive an automatic annual salary increment of 5 per cent and improved allowances.
- Salary and allowance arrears are to be paid.
- University staff and union officials are protected from disciplinary action linked to their participation in the strike.
Read Also: Ruto Announces Plan to Manufacture Leather Shoes for 14 Million School-Going Children.
The strike
The strike began on 2 October 2026 and disrupted teaching, learning and research across public universities. UASU suspended it to give negotiations a chance after the government committed KSh 20 billion to resolve the impasse. Lecturers resumed duties on Monday 2 November 2026.