As Kenya’s university lecturers table fresh salary demands under the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), concerns are mounting over the potential for another cycle of prolonged strikes. The Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) has proposed salary increases that, if approved, would see the highest-paid lecturer earn Ksh 580,144 per month, while the lowest-paid tutorial fellow would receive a basic salary of Ksh 86,594 excluding allowances and benefits.
The negotiations, spearheaded by the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) on behalf of the government, are set to determine whether the enhanced pay will take effect from July 1, 2025. However, given the government’s track record in implementing past CBAs, education stakeholders students, parents, and university administrators are already bracing for a tumultuous period.
The memory of last year’s nationwide strike remains fresh. Beginning on September 18, 2024, lecturers downed their tools across all 30 public universities, demanding implementation of the 2021-2025 CBA. The strike paralyzed learning and dragged on for months, with Moi University experiencing the longest disruption at three months. Uasu and the Kenya University Staff Union (Kusu) accused the government of dishonoring the agreement, as lecturers rejected a 4.5% pay rise after 10 rounds of negotiations, demanding the same 7-10% increment awarded to other public sector employees.
Signs of another pay dispute are already emerging. Earlier this year, Uasu issued a 15-day ultimatum to the government, insisting on full implementation of the 2021-2025 CBA. At the Technical University of Kenya (TUK), February exams were suspended due to an ongoing lecturers’ strike, forcing students to vacate campus premises. The striking lecturers, joined by non-teaching staff from KUDHEIHA, are protesting delayed salaries a crisis that could spill over to other institutions.
Compounding the situation is the financial instability of universities. The government’s appeal against an injunction blocking the new funding model remains unresolved. Meanwhile, students staged protests at the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) offices demanding delayed upkeep funds. While the government swiftly disbursed Ksh 3.37 billion, universities themselves remain financially strained, further complicating efforts to meet lecturers’ demands.
As negotiations unfold, the looming question remains: Will the government honor its commitments, or are we staring at another round of protracted strikes that could cripple the higher education sector yet again?
