Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has urged striking university lecturers to return to work as the nationwide industrial action enters its fourth week, pledging continued negotiations over their disputed 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Ogamba made the appeal on Friday, October 23, during the 10th graduation ceremony at Thika Technical Training Institute in Kiambu County, asking university staff unions and individual lecturers to resume teaching while the government works to resolve outstanding issues.
The CS said the government had cleared historical salary arrears under the 2017–2021 and 2021–2025 collective bargaining agreements, maintaining that it remained committed to addressing lecturers’ concerns through negotiations.
“For our universities, the Government has demonstrated its commitment to staff welfare by clearing all arrears under the 2017–2021 and 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreements. As we speak today, there are no historical arrears under any Collective Bargaining Agreements,” Ogamba said.
He urged lecturers to allow negotiations on the current agreement to proceed without further disruption to students’ education.
“My plea to our university staff is this: let us not unduly interrupt the education of our students over matters that the Government has already demonstrated willingness and readiness to address,” he said.
The strike, which began on October 2, has disrupted teaching and other academic activities in public universities following the collapse of negotiations between university staff unions and government representatives.
At the centre of the dispute is the 2025–2029 CBA, which 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) want finalised, signed and implemented with firm guarantees on funding.
The unions have rejected the government’s proposed salary increments, with UASU seeking basic salary increases of between 36 and 68 per cent, depending on job grade.
They are also demanding improved allowances, medical cover, car loans and mortgage benefits, better pension arrangements and the recruitment of additional staff to address shortages and heavy workloads.
The unions insist that the financial obligations arising from the new agreement should be backed by a written commitment guaranteeing funding through the National Exchequer rather than relying on university fees and institutions’ own-source revenue.
On Thursday, October 22, the unions petitioned Parliament seeking intervention in the stalled negotiations.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula referred the petition to the Public Petitions Committee for consideration, with the unions asking lawmakers to compel the National Treasury and the Ministry of Education to provide a binding funding commitment.
The dispute has also heightened concerns among students over delayed examinations, interrupted academic programmes and possible changes to university calendars. University of Nairobi students demonstrated on Wednesday, October 21, demanding government intervention to end the stalemate.
Ogamba’s latest appeal comes as the government maintains that it is willing to negotiate the outstanding issues, while lecturers continue to press for a settlement that addresses their pay and working conditions.
