By Gichuiri Muritu
The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has issued a seven-day strike notice, setting the stage for a nationwide lecturers’ strike from midnight on Friday, October 2, 2026.
UASU Secretary General Dr Constantine Wasonga said the union had been pushed to take the decision after the Government failed to honour commitments contained in the Return-to-Work Formula signed on November 5, 2025.
The union also accused the Government of delaying negotiations and failing to provide a financial counter-proposal for the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
According to UASU, lecturers in public universities have been left behind while other employees in the public education sector concluded their 2025-2029 CBAs last year.
The union said the dispute deepened after a meeting with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) on Monday, September 21, 2026.
UASU said SRC informed university-sector unions 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.
The commission consequently could not issue the constitutional advice required to facilitate financial counter-proposals to the unions, UASU said.
The union now argues that negotiations held at Machakos University since last year have effectively stalled because of the lack of a Treasury funding commitment.
UASU also raised concerns over what it described as attempts to shift the burden of financing university education towards student fees and market-based funding.
The union said such a move could undermine the status of academic staff in public universities as public officers.
“Academic staff in public universities are public officers,” UASU said, rejecting any attempt to remove their public officer status through what it termed back-door mechanisms.
The union cited the Constitution’s definition of public office, arguing that the remuneration and benefits of public officers should be payable directly from the Consolidated Fund or from money provided by Parliament.
UASU further questioned the Government’s emerging funding model for university education, particularly references to market-based funding.
The union said it had been directed by some Government officials to review social media statements attributed to Dr David Ndii concerning the funding of public university students under a proposed new university funding model.
UASU said unions should not be expected to rely on social media posts or interpret provisions in the proposed Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, which is still before Parliament.
The union posed questions over the future of public universities under a market-based funding model, including what would happen if students failed to pay fees or if market-based financing failed to generate sufficient returns.
UASU is demanding that the Government conclude, sign, register and implement the 2025-2029 CBA.
It is also demanding a formal commitment from the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury that the agreement will be financed through the National Exchequer.
The union wants the Government to abandon what it described as attempts to remove the public officer status of lecturers.
It has further called for the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, to include an explicit provision safeguarding the remuneration of academic staff through the Exchequer.
UASU is also demanding meaningful participation in the development of human resource instruments for public universities being prepared by the Public Service Commission.
The union said failure to address the dispute would affect the quality of public university education and the welfare of students.
“A dignified, fairly remunerated academic staff is critical for the quality of public university education, safeguarding the future of students and the socioeconomic development of Kenya,” UASU said.
The strike is expected to affect teaching and other academic activities in public universities if the dispute is not resolved before October 2.
