Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has said the days of university strikes may finally be behind the country, following a new understanding between the government and unions representing university staff.
Ogamba noted that both sides had agreed to handle disputes through dialogue rather than street protests.
“Recently, we had a few challenges in the higher education sector, but we sat down and resolved them. We were dealing with the 2017–2021 CBA, which had dragged on for years. We’ve now agreed that we will no longer sort out our issues in the streets,” he said.
He added that negotiations for the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) are already underway and that both parties have committed to keeping talks peaceful and constructive.
“We’ve signed and cleared the old one, and agreed that if what’s in the CBA is implemented, we shouldn’t have another strike until 2030,” he said.
Ogamba’s remarks came just after lecturers and non-teaching staff from public universities called off their two-month strike. The industrial action had paralysed learning across the country before unions finally accepted the government’s offer to clear pending dues in phases.
Under the new deal, the government will settle Ksh7.9 billion owed to staff under the 2017–2021 CBA.
The agreement was signed by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU), and the Kenya Union of Domestic Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA).
UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga said the unions accepted a two-instalment payment plan, with the full amount expected to be cleared by June 2026.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi had earlier admitted that the government was facing financial constraints and could not pay the entire amount at once.
“The government is cash-strapped and cannot foot the entire Ksh7.9 billion at once. We urge lecturers to accept instalment payments,” Mbadi said.
Wasonga added that both sides had also signed a framework for negotiating the 2025–2029 CBA to guide future engagements and prevent similar standoffs.
Lecturers had previously vowed not to return to class until all arrears were cleared in full. However, after a series of closed-door meetings and consultations, the unions agreed to the phased plan, marking what could be a turning point in labour relations within Kenya’s higher education sector.
