Public Universities Vice Chancellors Committee Chairperson Prof Daniel Mugendi Njiru makes his remarks during a consultative meeting with universities on the Kenya National Qualifications Framework and the National Qualification Database held at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) on September 01, 2026.

📋 Breaking It Down

Public universities have questioned where the money to implement the proposed 2025–2029 lecturers’ Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) will come from, warning that they cannot take on the additional cost from their existing allocations under the Student-Centred Funding Model.

The universities want the National Treasury to provide fresh funding for the agreement, arguing that they are already struggling with a funding shortfall of more than Sh100 billion.

The position was presented to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) by the Vice-Chancellors’ Committee following a request by the commission for universities to confirm the funds available to implement the proposed CBA.

📌 What You Need to Know

SRC had asked vice-chancellors and principals to provide the information as it assesses the affordability and fiscal sustainability of the 2025–2029 agreements.

“The Vice-Chancellors’ Committee noted that since the introduction of the Student-Centred University Funding Model (SCFM), the Government has not fully remitted the funding due to Public Universities, with the outstanding amount presently standing at over Sh100 billion. As a result, Public Universities continue to experience severe financial constraints in meeting their existing academic, personnel and operational obligations,” said Prof Daniel Mugendi, the chairperson of the Vice-Chancellors’ Committee of Public Universities.

In a September 23 letter to SRC, the Vice-Chancellors’ Committee said the Government had not fully remitted funding due to public universities since the introduction of the Student-Centred Funding Model, with the outstanding amount now standing at more than Sh100 billion.

The funding gap, the universities said, has left institutions struggling to meet their existing academic, personnel and operational obligations. They warned that requiring them to meet the additional cost of the new CBA from their existing allocations would further strain already financially stretched institutions.

Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary-General Dr Constantine Wasonga speaks during a press briefing at the union headquarters in Nairobi on September 24, 2026.

The vice chancellors have asked that the financial requirement arising from the 2025–2029 CBAs be fully funded by the National Treasury, with the money specifically provided for implementation of the agreements.

📰 Source: Nation Africa