Lecturers and other university staff have taken to the streets at several public universities as a nationwide strike over the stalled 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) begins, disrupting learning across Kenya.
Learning has been suspended at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Kenyatta University (KU) and the University of Nairobi (UoN), among other universities as the industrial action takes effect.
Lecturers at Murang’a University and Machakos University began their demonstrations on Friday, while their counterparts at Moi University and the University of Eldoret (UoE) also took to the streets.
The industrial action involves members of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) and Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA).
The unions called the strike after negotiations with the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) collapsed in Machakos on Thursday without an agreement on the 2025–2029 CBA.
The unions rejected the latest counter-offer, citing disagreements over salaries, allowances, medical benefits and the recruitment of additional academic staff.
A key disagreement is over salary increases. The employers’ forum has proposed an 8.25 per cent cumulative increase in basic salaries over the four-year CBA period, while the unions have rejected a proposed four per cent automatic annual increment as inadequate.
Staffing is another major issue, with the unions calling for more academic staff to be recruited to address shortages as student enrolment continues to rise.
The unions have also raised concerns over medical benefits and the implementation of commitments contained in the previous Return-to-Work Formula.
The strike is expected to affect lectures, examinations, research, student supervision and other services in public universities and constituent colleges. The extent of disruption varies between institutions, with some campuses reporting demonstrations while others have suspended learning.
Further negotiations between the unions and university employers will determine whether the dispute is resolved and when normal academic activities resume.
