Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary General Constantine Wesonga briefs union members gathered at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) on the first day of the nationwide lecturers' strike on October 02, 2026.

📋 Breaking It Down

Talks to end the one-week strike that has ground learning and other operations in public universities on Thursday, October 8, failed to unlock the stalemate as contentious issues remain unresolved.

The meeting was attended by technical teams from the three unions whose members have downed tools since Friday last week, the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) and the Ministry of Labour.

“We met and did simulations on the process. The chairman will present to the government and let them consult, decide and give a counter-offer. We hope after consultations they’re going to invite us,” Constantine Wasonga, the secretary-general of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) told Nation .

📌 What You Need to Know

The secretary-general of the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) Charles Mukhwaya described the process as “Miniature progress; nothing to write home about” and later revealed that no deal had been struck.

However, the Principal Secretary for Higher Education Beatrice Inyangala told Nation that the government is hopeful the dispute will be resolved and students resuming learning.

“We have made substantial progress, and I want to put this in the right context. The CBA issue we are dealing with today did not start yesterday. Some of these matters have been carried over from previous agreements and previous administrations. This government inherited those challenges, but we have not used that as an excuse. We have gone back, looked at the outstanding commitments and started resolving them. We have made progress on the 2017–2021 and 2021–2025 CBAs, and a number of issues that had remained unresolved for years have now been addressed,” Dr Inyangala said.

She added that there is still work to do on the current dispute, “but the discussions are at a point where we believe the remaining issues can be resolved through engagement”.

Alongside UASU and KUSU, members of the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (Kudheiha) are also on strike.

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📰 Source: Nation Africa