Learning across Kenya’s 35 public universities has come to a grinding halt today, Wednesday, September 17, 2025, as lecturers initiate a nationwide strike demanding the immediate implementation of long-overdue Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).
The industrial action, spearheaded by the University Academic Staff Union (UASU), the Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU), and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA), followed weeks of failed negotiations and what unions described as repeated government betrayal. At the forefront of the protests were lecturers from the University of Nairobi (UoN), who marched through the capital blowing vuvuzelas and carrying banners.
The dons are primarily demanding the release of KSh2.73 billion from Phase Two of the 2021–2025 CBA, settlement of KSh7.9 billion arrears from the 2017–2021 CBA, and the negotiation and registration of a new 2025–2029 CBA. They also accuse the government of failing to implement CBAs despite multiple agreements and court rulings.
Despite a last-minute attempt by the Treasury, which released KSh2.5 billion to settle part of the arrears, UASU insisted the strike would proceed until the money reflected in lecturers’ accounts and the outstanding billions were fully addressed.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba had urged the unions to suspend the strike, assuring them of the State’s commitment to fulfilling its financial obligations. However, Wesonga rejected the plea, saying lecturers were tired of “empty promises.”
“Dons do not eat statements of intention. We don’t eat promissory notes. Unless the money is in our accounts, we are not resuming work,” he said, adding that the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) remained a major stumbling block.
The unions further highlighted KSh8.8 billion still owed from the 2017–2021 CBA, despite multiple court rulings in their favor.
This latest industrial action mirrors strikes in October and November 2024, when lecturers walked out over salary arrears and delayed CBA implementation. With universities already under financial strain, the prolonged dispute threatens to derail academic calendars, leaving thousands of students in uncertainty.
