Union officials from Kusu, Uasu and Kudheiha gather at Technical University of Kenya on October 2, 2026 during the first day of the nationwide strike over the 2025-2029 collective bargaining agreement. Breaking It Down More than 700,000 students in public universities are bearing the cost of the lecturers’ strike, now in its second week, after negotiations collapsed yesterday, prolonging the disruption of learning. Students have lost valuable l
10/13/26 • 51 ビュー
Union officials from Kusu, Uasu and Kudheiha gather at Technical University of Kenya on October 2, 2026 during the first day of the nationwide strike over the 2025-2029 collective bargaining agreement.
📋 Breaking It Down
More than 700,000 students in public universities are bearing the cost of the lecturers’ strike, now in its second week, after negotiations collapsed yesterday, prolonging the disruption of learning.
Students have lost valuable learning time and fear their upkeep money will run out before teaching resumes. Some face a choice between remaining on campus without lectures and spending more money travelling home.
The strike has disrupted the transition to university life for first year students, many of whom are demoralised and uncertain when their studies will resume, barely weeks after the academic year began.
📌 What You Need to Know
University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) Secretary General Constantine Wasonga said the government had failed to demonstrate sufficient commitment during negotiations.
Dr Wasonga said lecturers wanted a counteroffer reflecting the cost of their demands under the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA). He criticised the government’s proposed Sh12 billion package, arguing that it did not adequately cover its obligations.
He said the 2013 to 2017 CBA cost Sh15 billion, while the 2017 to 2021 agreement cost Sh16.5 billion. The 2022 to 2025 agreement cost Sh9 billion for basic salaries and automatic annual increments.
“How then is it possible that the current CBA, which has the above plus commuter allowance, medical cover, among others, costs Sh12 billion?” Dr Wasonga asked.
He said the government’s counteroffer should be calculated using a transparent, evidence-based method before being compared with the union’s demands.
With teaching paralysed in several institutions, leaders under the Kenya University Student Unions umbrella want Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba to fast track negotiations with Uasu and secure an agreement on implementing the 2025 to 2029 CBA.
📰 Source: Nation Africa
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