UASU Issues Seven-Day Strike Notice Over CBA and University Funding
By Fride Allan Amiani
The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has issued a seven-day notice for a nationwide strike, citing the Government’s failure to conclude and fund the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for academic staff in public universities.
In a press statement dated Thursday, September 24, 2026, UASU Secretary General Dr Constantine Wasonga said the strike is scheduled to begin at midnight on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
Wasonga said the decision follows what the union described as the failure of university councils, the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury to honour the Return-to-Work Formula signed on November 5, 2025.
“The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) hereby issues a seven-day notice of nationwide strike,” the union stated, adding that the industrial action would commence at midnight on October 1.
According to Wasonga, the Government has yet to provide a financial counter-proposal for the 2025–2029 CBA, despite the agreement reached to facilitate the conclusion of negotiations.
“The Government has failed to provide a financial counter-proposal for the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA),” Wasonga said.
He argued that academic staff in public universities had been left behind even as other employees in the public education sector concluded their CBAs for the same period.
The union’s position was further strengthened, according to Wasonga, by information presented by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) during a meeting with unions in the university sector on September 21.
Wasonga said SRC disclosed that neither the Ministry of Education nor the National Treasury had provided a written commitment that funding for CBAs in public universities would be provided through the National Exchequer.
He said the disclosure raised questions about the progress of negotiations that have been ongoing since last year.
“This disclosure by SRC confirms that the negotiations held at Machakos University since last year have been an exercise in futility,” Wasonga said.
The UASU Secretary General further criticised what he described as uncertainty over the proposed financing of public university education.
He said the union was concerned by indications that funding for public university lecturers could be linked to student fees and market-based financing.
“Academic staff in public universities are public officers. We resist any attempt to strip lecturers of their public officer status through back-door mechanisms,” Wasonga stated.
He argued that the remuneration of academic staff should be secured through the National Exchequer, citing the constitutional provisions governing public officers.
“The remuneration of public university academic staff must therefore be secured from the National Exchequer, as required by the Constitution,” he said.
Wasonga also questioned the Government’s approach to communicating changes in university financing, particularly where such changes have not been formally enacted through legislation.
“It is unacceptable that senior Government officers are making far-reaching pronouncements on the funding of university education and the remuneration of lecturers without a published public policy document as is required by the law,” he said.
The union also raised concerns over statements attributed to Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba regarding a proposed new university funding model. Wasonga said unions should not be expected to rely on social media statements to determine Government policy.
“Unions cannot be directed to rely on social media declarations or to interpret the implied meanings in the proposed Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, which Parliament has not enacted,” he said.
Wasonga posed a series of questions over the future of public universities under a possible market-based funding model.
“Do we still have public universities or have they changed to market based universities?” he asked. “If so, when and how did they change to market based universities?”
He also questioned what would happen if market-based financing failed to generate sufficient returns for university education or if students were unable to pay their fees.
Against this backdrop, UASU has outlined several demands that it wants addressed before the dispute is resolved.
The union wants the 2025–2029 CBA to be negotiated, signed, registered and implemented. It is also demanding an immediate commitment from the Ministry of Education and National Treasury that the agreement will be funded through the National Exchequer.
UASU further wants the Government to cease what it describes as attempts to remove the public officer status of lecturers in public universities.
The union is also calling for an explicit provision in the proposed Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, to safeguard the remuneration of academic staff through the Exchequer in accordance with the Constitution.
In addition, UASU wants to participate meaningfully in the development of human resource instruments for public universities currently being developed by the Public Service Commission.
Wasonga warned that the Government should not abandon university lecturers, emphasising their role in the education system and national development.
“The Government should not abandon the public university lecturers,” he said.
He added that fairly remunerated academic staff remain important to the quality of university education and the future of students.
“A dignified, fairly remunerated academic staff is critical for the quality of public university education, the safeguarding the future of students, and the socioeconomic development of Kenya,” Wasonga said.
With the seven-day notice now issued, the Government, university councils and other stakeholders have until the end of September to address the union’s concerns and avert the planned nationwide strike.
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