Lecturers reach Sh20bn deal with government to end strike

By  Mercy Simiyu

Correspondent

University lecturers have reached a Sh20 billion pay deal with the government for the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), paving the way for an end to the protracted strike that has disrupted learning in public universities.

Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga says the union has secured a Sh20 billion deal for university lecturers’ salaries and allowances under the 2025-2029 CBA, following weeks of industrial action over stalled pay negotiations.

The deal was negotiated by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba and after an earlier separate meeting at State House.

Dr Wasonga said the two sides had agreed on the amount following negotiations, with technical teams scheduled to meet tomorrow to document the agreement.

“Today we have agreed on a figure we have negotiated with the government. Not a figure imposed on the union,” the unionist stated.

He said the Sh20 billion package would cover basic salaries and allowances, marking a significant shift from the government’s previous proposals, which the unions had rejected as inadequate.

“We have a deal worth Sh20bn for the 2025-2029 CBA from Sh3.1 billion, Sh9.76 billion, Sh11.95 billion! The Sh20 billion is for basic salary and allowances!” he said in a message to lecturers.

The announcement comes days after the government presented a Sh11.96 billion counteroffer on October 26, which was rejected by the unions, deepening the standoff over remuneration and working conditions for university staff.

The latest figure, Sh20 billion, would represent an increase of about Sh8.04 billion, or 67.2 per cent, over the government’s October 26 proposal.

The breakthrough, once formally confirmed, would mark a significant shift in negotiations that have exposed a deep divide between the government and the unions over the cost of the new CBA.

The dispute has centred on the competing financial positions of the two sides, with the unions demanding Sh98 billion for the four-year agreement against the government’s earlier proposals of Sh9.76 billion, Sh11.95 billion and Sh11.96 billion.

The latest counteroffer of Sh11,958,504,776 was presented by the government’s Inter-Ministerial Committee on October 26, prompting the unions to question why the amount had fallen slightly from the Sh12 billion proposal tabled earlier in the month.

UASU had argued that the offers were inadequate to meet its demands for salary adjustments and improved allowances across university staff grades.

“What happened to the Sh12 billion they tabled two weeks ago? Today, they came back with Sh11 billion, a reduced counter-offer,” Dr Wasonga said after the October 26 talks.

The reported Sh20 billion deal would be the highest figure communicated in the negotiations so far, although it remains substantially below the unions’ Sh98 billion demand.

The difference between the unions’ demand and the reported deal is Sh78 billion. However, the two figures should not be treated as directly comparable until the parties clarify the employees, benefits and costs covered by each proposal.

What the unions wanted

UASU has been seeking basic salary increases ranging from 36 per cent to 68 per cent, depending on staff grade, alongside a 57 per cent increase in house allowances.

Under its proposal, the maximum monthly basic salary for a professor would rise from Sh345,816 to Sh580,144 by the final year of the agreement in 2028/29, an increase of Sh234,328.

For a senior lecturer, the proposed maximum basic salary would rise from Sh238,221 to Sh399,644.

The union also sought higher housing allowances, commuter allowances of up to Sh60,000 a month for eligible grades, a professorial allowance of Sh80,000, annual book allowances of between Sh65,000 and Sh90,000, and annual leave allowances ranging from Sh50,000 to Sh70,000.

The employers’ proposal, presented through the Inter-Public Universities Consultative Forum (IPUCCF), had recommended a cumulative salary adjustment of 8.25 per cent over four years, based on annual increases of two per cent. An alternative based on annual increases of three per cent would result in a cumulative adjustment of 12.56 per cent.

The unions rejected the proposals, arguing that the increases were inadequate against the rising cost of living and did not sufficiently address their concerns over allowances and the remuneration of senior academic staff.

The dispute follows months of failed negotiations over the 2025–2029 CBA.

On November 5, 2025, the parties signed a return-to-work formula committing them to conclude negotiations within 30 days, by December 5. The unions subsequently complained that the deadline had not been honoured.

The breakdown in talks led to industrial action by UASU, the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers.

The unions also raised concerns over medical benefits, annual salary increments and the implementation of provisions in the previous 2021–2025 CBA.

KUSU secretary-general Charles Mukhwaya had accused the government and university employers of lacking goodwill in resolving the dispute.

“When one party decides what unions should receive, it sidelines the unions’ right to negotiate,” he said during a media briefing following the collapse of the October 26 talks.

The unions have separately sought Parliament’s intervention over Sh7.9 billion in outstanding arrears under previous agreements, including the 2017–2021 CBA. The arrears are distinct from the cost of the new agreement.

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