Kenya lecturers seek parliamentary intervention over stalled university pay deal

University lecturers’ unions in Kenya have turned to Parliament to help resolve a pay dispute with the government, seeking guarantees that the proposed 2025–2029 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) will be adequately funded and implemented.

The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (Kudheiha) have asked lawmakers to intervene in negotiations over salaries and other employment benefits for public university staff.

According to Daily Nation, Parliament’s Education and Labour committees are expected to facilitate discussions between the unions and the government following the petition.

The unions want the National Treasury and the Ministry of Education to present an adequate counter-offer backed by a written commitment that the agreement’s financial obligations will be met through the national exchequer.

The dispute has kept public university staff away from work since Oct 2, affecting teaching and other academic activities. The parliamentary intervention comes after negotiations failed to produce an agreement acceptable to the unions.

Funding guarantee at the centre of dispute

The unions’ main concern is not limited to the size of the government’s pay offer. They also want clarity on how the proposed agreement will be financed.

In their petition, the unions said negotiations had reached a deadlock after the Inter-Public Universities Consultative Forum (IPUCCF), which represents public university employers, settled on a counter-offer that they considered inadequate.

They have asked Parliament to press the National Treasury and the Ministry of Education to provide a written, binding commitment that funding for the new CBA will come from the exchequer.

The unions say the absence of such a guarantee raises questions about whether any agreement reached during negotiations can be implemented. They cited information from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), which reportedly told them on Sep 21 that neither the Treasury nor the Education Ministry had provided a written commitment to fund the financial obligations arising from public university CBAs.

The unions have also objected to a proposal under which university staff salaries could be financed through student fees and universities’ own-source revenue.

They argue that remuneration for public university employees should be funded through the Consolidated Fund or other money appropriated by Parliament, rather than relying on students’ payments.

The disagreement over funding has become a central obstacle to the negotiations, alongside the outstanding terms of the proposed employment agreement.

Unions seek settlement of KSh 7.9 billion in arrears

The unions have asked lawmakers to press the government to settle KSh 7.9 billion in outstanding salary arrears accumulated under previous collective bargaining agreements, including the 2017–2021 CBA.

They are also seeking the conclusion and implementation of the 2025–2029 agreement, which covers salaries and other employment-related terms.

According to The Star, the unions say earlier commitments to conclude negotiations were not honoured. They cited return-to-work formulas signed in September 2024 and October 2025, under which the parties had agreed to conclude negotiations and implement the new agreement within specified timelines.

The government and the unions have previously disagreed over the terms of a settlement.

Parliament calls for dialogue as academic activities remain disrupted

National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah has urged the parties to exercise restraint and allow dialogue to proceed. He has also highlighted the impact of the strike on students, including disruption to examinations.

Funyula MP Wilberforce Oundo has similarly urged the government and lecturers to prioritise students’ interests. Tetu MP Godfrey Wandeto attributed the difficulties facing the sector in part to wider funding pressures affecting public universities, according to Daily Nation.

The unions, meanwhile, maintain that a settlement must address both the terms of the CBA and the source of funding needed to implement it.

The parliamentary process has not yet produced a confirmed settlement. The committees’ intervention is intended to bring the parties together and help address the unresolved issues, but the strike’s end will depend on whether the government and unions can agree on the terms and funding of the pay deal.

Labour Ministry schedules separate conciliation talks

Alongside the parliamentary initiative, Kenya’s Ministry of Labour and Social Protection has summoned union leaders and representatives of public university employers for conciliation talks on Monday, Oct 26, in Nairobi.

The meeting notice, reported by Education News, was issued by Principal Secretary for Labour and Skills Development Shadrack Mwadime.

The invited participants include UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga Opiyo, KUSU Secretary-General Charles Mukhwaya, Kudheiha representatives and the IPUCCF, which represents university employers. The talks are expected to address outstanding financial and non-financial terms of the collective bargaining agreements.

The ministry’s conciliation effort and Parliament’s consideration of the unions’ petition are separate processes aimed at resolving the same dispute. As of the latest reports available for this article, neither had announced a final agreement ending the strike.

For Kenya’s public universities, the immediate challenge remains reaching a settlement that both sides can accept and establishing a credible funding arrangement for the agreed terms. Until that happens, teaching and other academic activities remain exposed to further disruption.