Public Universities Brace for Shutdown as Lecturers Issue Strike Notice

The union says the action follows the government’s failure to implement commitments made after last year’s strike and to conclude negotiations for the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). If the strike proceeds, teaching, examinations, supervision of students, research and university administration could be affected across public universities and constituent colleges. However, the phrase “total shutdown” should be treated as a warning of the likely effect of a full lecturers’ strike, not confirmation that every university service will immediately stop.

Why lecturers are threatening a strike

UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga announced the strike notice on September 24, accusing university councils, the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury of failing to honour the Return-to-Work Formula signed on November 5, 2025. The agreement ended a prolonged lecturers’ strike and was intended to provide a framework for settling outstanding salary arrears while opening negotiations for a new four-year CBA. The union now says key obligations under that agreement remain unresolved.

At the centre of the dispute are two related issues.

First, UASU wants the 2025–2029 CBA negotiated, signed, registered and implemented. The agreement is expected to define salary adjustments, allowances, working conditions and other employment terms for academic staff during the four-year period.

Second, the union wants a written commitment that the agreement will be financed through the National Exchequer. UASU argues that universities cannot implement a CBA if the government has not guaranteed the funds required to meet the resulting obligations.

The dispute intensified after the Salaries and Remuneration Commission reportedly informed university-sector unions 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 come through the National Exchequer.

UASU also says the government has not presented a financial counter-proposal, despite negotiations having continued for months. Without such a proposal, the union maintains, discussions cannot move towards a final agreement. Kenyans

A promise made after the 2025 strike

The latest confrontation is directly linked to the settlement that ended the previous nationwide strike.

On November 5, 2025, UASU and the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum signed a Return-to-Work Formula after a strike that lasted several weeks. The agreement restored normal operations and provided for the reinstatement of affected staff, protection from victimisation and payment of withheld salaries and benefits.

The settlement also addressed arrears arising from earlier collective bargaining agreements. One part of the agreement recorded Sh2.73 billion in Phase Two arrears under the 2021–2025 CBA as settled, subject to verification by joint implementation committees. It further committed the parties to fast-track negotiations for the 2025–2029 CBA within 30 days.

The wider financial settlement was reported at approximately Sh7.9 billion, with the money expected to be released in two tranches. The first tranche was scheduled for release between November and December 2025, while the remaining amount was due by July 2026.

The current strike notice suggests that the agreement did not resolve the deeper problem: the absence of a stable and mutually accepted mechanism for financing staff agreements in a university system already experiencing serious financial pressure.

For lecturers, the issue is not simply whether negotiations have taken place. It is whether the final agreement will be legally and financially enforceable. For the government and university councils, the challenge is how to meet staff demands while universities face rising enrolment, inadequate funding and competing obligations.

What a strike would mean for students

The immediate impact would fall on students, many of whom are already studying under disrupted academic calendars.

A lecturers’ strike can affect several areas at once:

• Lectures and tutorials may be suspended.

• Continuous assessment tests and examinations may be postponed.

• Final-year projects and postgraduate supervision may be delayed.

• Marking and release of results may slow down.

• Graduation ceremonies may be rescheduled.

• University admissions and orientation activities may be disrupted where lecturers are required to participate.

• Students may face additional accommodation, transport and living costs if the academic calendar is extended.

The effect would not necessarily be uniform. Some universities could have ongoing examinations, while others might be between semesters or preparing to admit new students. Institutions may also issue different internal instructions depending on their academic calendars.

Nevertheless, a nationwide withdrawal of teaching services would create a system-wide problem. Public universities depend heavily on academic staff for teaching, assessment, research supervision and examination administration. Even if non-teaching staff remain at work, the core academic functions of the institutions would be severely affected.

The consequences could be particularly serious for students in professional programmes, postgraduate courses and final-year cohorts. Delays in assessment or supervision can affect internship placements, professional examinations, employment applications and graduation timelines.

Students and parents should therefore rely on official communication from their universities rather than assume that all activities have been cancelled or that campuses have closed completely.

The funding problem behind the dispute

The lecturers’ dispute is unfolding against a broader crisis in higher education financing.

Kenya introduced the Student-Centred Funding Model in 2023, shifting university financing from an institution-based approach towards a system centred on individual students. Under the model, funding is provided through a combination of government scholarships, loans and household contributions. The Universities Fund says scholarship levels are determined by students’ financial need, while HELB provides loans and families may be required to meet any remaining contribution. Universitiesfund

The model was designed to respond to increased enrolment and inadequate funding. But it also changed the financial relationship between universities, students and the government.

Under the previous system, universities received funding based largely on institutional allocations and the cost of educating students. Under the student-centred system, money follows students through scholarships and loans. This creates greater dependence on accurate student data, timely disbursement and predictable government financing.

If funds are delayed, universities can experience cash-flow problems even when students have been admitted and registered. Institutions still have to pay staff, maintain facilities, purchase teaching materials, support research and meet statutory obligations.

The lecturers’ demand for a National Exchequer commitment reflects this concern. UASU appears to be seeking assurance that staff salaries and CBA obligations will not depend solely on unpredictable student-fee collections or delayed transfers.

This question has become more urgent as public universities deal with accumulated debts, staffing shortages and pressure to enrol more students. A university may admit more learners but still lack the funds and personnel required to teach them effectively.

Why repeated strikes are damaging

The recurring cycle of strikes, negotiations and temporary settlements has consequences beyond the immediate interruption of classes.

For students, repeated stoppages make it difficult to plan academic and personal lives. Academic calendars become compressed, examinations are moved, and graduation dates are uncertain. Students who depend on university accommodation, bursaries or part-time employment may face additional financial pressure.

For universities, strikes result in lost teaching time and administrative disruption. Institutions may be forced to compress semesters, add weekend classes or alter examination schedules. Such measures can affect the quality of learning and increase pressure on lecturers and support staff once classes resume.

The interruptions also weaken public confidence in university education. Families may question whether public institutions can provide reliable academic programmes, while students may consider private universities or overseas institutions despite the higher cost.

Research is another casualty. Academic staff who are involved in research projects, postgraduate supervision and international collaborations may be unable to meet deadlines. This can affect grants, publications and partnerships.

The government also faces higher costs when disputes are allowed to escalate. A settlement reached after a prolonged strike may involve arrears, court proceedings, lost academic time and emergency financing. Early negotiation is generally less disruptive than waiting until lecturers withdraw their services.

What needs to happen before October 2

The seven-day notice gives the government, university councils and UASU a short window to prevent a shutdown.

The first step should be a formal meeting involving UASU, the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum, the Ministry of Education, the National Treasury and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission. The parties need to establish which commitments from the November 2025 agreement have been fulfilled, which remain outstanding and what evidence supports each position.

The second step is the submission of a clear financial proposal. Negotiations cannot be completed through general assurances. The government needs to state what it can fund, when the money will be available and how the proposed CBA will be implemented across public universities.

Third, the parties must separate immediate obligations from longer-term negotiations. Outstanding arrears and payments already covered by the Return-to-Work Formula should not be confused with the terms of the new 2025–2029 CBA.

Fourth, any agreement should include a realistic implementation timetable, responsible institutions and a monitoring mechanism. Previous settlements have been weakened when commitments were made without clear funding sources or enforcement procedures.

Finally, the government and universities must address the structural financing problem. Salaries are only one part of the crisis. Public universities also need predictable funding for infrastructure, research, laboratories, libraries and student services.

A crisis that can still be avoided

UASU’s notice does not automatically mean that public universities have already shut down. It means lecturers have announced their intention to strike if the dispute is not resolved within seven days.

But the threat is credible, particularly because it follows a previous strike and a settlement that was supposed to prevent another confrontation. The central question is whether the government and university employers will provide the financial clarity that the union says has been missing.

A temporary agreement could postpone the dispute, but a lasting solution requires more than promises to resume talks. Kenya needs a higher education financing system that can support expanding enrolment, pay academic staff on time and honour collective bargaining agreements.

If negotiations fail, students will again bear the cost of a dispute they did not create. If the parties reach a transparent and funded agreement before October 2, they will not only protect the academic calendar but also begin restoring confidence in the management of Kenya’s public university system