Public universities could shut down from October 2 as lecturers push the government to settle an estimated Sh100 billion debt owed to institutions and commit to funding a new four-year salary agreement.
The University Academic Staff Union (UASU) says the financial crisis facing public universities is at the heart of its decision to issue the government with a seven-day ultimatum to resolve the dispute.
UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wesonga said on Thursday, September 24, that lecturers would begin a nationwide strike at midnight on October 2 if the government fails to negotiate, sign and start implementing the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
According to Wesonga, the union’s position is that the agreement should be financed directly through the national exchequer and not from student fees.
“If the government could have paid this hundred billion they are owing public universities, public universities could be afloat,” Wesonga said.
Dispute over CBA funding
Wesonga said UASU had attempted to engage the government in negotiations but was forced to issue the strike notice after failing to get a financial commitment on the CBA.
He claimed the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) had informed the union that it could not provide the necessary advice to facilitate a financial counter-proposal because the Ministry of Education and National Treasury had not given a written commitment on funding the agreement through the national exchequer.
“National CBAs cannot be funded by individual universities. National CBA is supposed to be funded from the national exchequer,” he said.
The union is also opposed to a funding model where money follows students, arguing that universities should not depend on fees paid by learners to finance salaries for public employees.
“Universities employees are public officers. Public officers can either be paid from the consolidated fund or money appropriated by Parliament. We are not going to allow our salaries to be paid from student fees,” Wesonga said.
Staffing crisis
Beyond salaries, UASU said the proposed CBA is also intended to address staffing shortages and other human resource challenges in public universities.
Wesonga claimed some lecturers are handling up to 1,000 students, while institutions are also grappling with inadequate facilities as enrolment continues to grow.
He said recruitment of academic staff is among the issues that should be addressed through the 2025–2029 agreement.
The union also raised concerns over pension deductions and other financial obligations, saying some universities have been unable to meet them because of funding constraints.
Seven days to avert strike
UASU has now given the government seven days to resolve the impasse.
The union wants the 2025–2029 CBA negotiated, signed and implemented within the period, with its financing guaranteed through the national exchequer.
Failure to reach an agreement, Wesonga warned, will see lecturers down their tools from October 2, potentially disrupting learning across public universities.
The ultimatum sets the stage for another showdown between university lecturers and the government over pay, funding and the financial sustainability of public universities.
