NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 24 — The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has issued a seven-day notice for a nationwide strike by lecturers, with the industrial action set to begin at midnight on October 2.

📻 Breaking It Down

The union said the decision follows what it described as the persistent failure by university councils, the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury to honour the Return-to-Work Formula signed on November 5, 2025.

UASU also said the government has failed to provide a financial counter-proposal for the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

“While other employees in the public education sector concluded their 2025–2029 CBAs last year, lecturers in public universities have been abandoned,” the union said on Thursday.

📌 What You Need to Know

The notice follows a disclosure by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) on September 21 that neither the Ministry of Education nor the National Treasury had provided a written commitment that funding for public universities’ CBAs would be provided through the National Exchequer.

UASU said the SRC consequently could not issue the constitutional advice required to facilitate financial counter-proposals to the unions.

“This disclosure by SRC confirms that the negotiations held at Machakos University since last year have been an exercise in futility,” UASU said.

The union also objected to what it said was a government position that funding for public university lecturers could be drawn from student fees and market-based funding.

“UASU rejects this position firmly. Academic staff in public universities are public officers.”

The union argued that lecturers’ remuneration should be secured from the National Exchequer, citing the constitutional definition of public office and the requirement that remuneration and benefits be payable from the Consolidated Fund or money provided by Parliament.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya