University union officials led by Uasu secretary general Constantine Wasonga and Kusu's Charles Mukhwaya with Education CS Julius Ogamba after the talks, November 4, 2025. /JULIUS OGAMBA/X
Lecturers could be back in lecture halls as early as Monday, November 10, if they heed their union’s appeal to reconsider their hardline stance against the phased payment of Sh7.94 billion in arrears accrued from the 2017–21 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The strike, which began on September 17, entered its 48th day on Tuesday, November 4.
Besides the payment formula, a Sh180 million discrepancy was at the centre of the standoff, further complicating the matter for the government.
While lecturers have been demanding the full payment of Sh7.94 billion, the Ministry of Education remained firm that the amount verified by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) was Sh7.76 billion — a sum the ministry wants to disburse in two instalments.
Until the mediation meeting facilitated by the National Assembly Committee on Education, lecturers had maintained that they would not call off the strike until the total amount they were demanding was paid in full.
However, in a rare show of flexibility, University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) secretary general Constantine Wasonga said he would convene a meeting with union members within 48 hours (about four days) to reconsider their stance.
He attributed the union’s shift to the humane manner in which the committee handled the matter, saying it was in stark contrast to how government representative - the Inter-Public Universities Councils’ Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) - treats university staff.
“The way IPUCCF manages university staff is perfunctory,” Wasonga told the committee chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly.
“If you can see the way lecturers came out of strike, those are people who could go up to January. But because of your chairmanship, because of the honourable members that have talked to us, I’m going to plead with our members so that we can reconsider,” he added, noting that the legislators "don’t push us, you don’t call us names.”
The meeting brought together Uasu, its sister union the Kenya University Staff Union (Kusu), and officials from the Ministry of Education led by Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba.
Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba and Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala.
Also in attendance was the leadership of the IPUCCF, the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA) and the Principal Secretary for Higher Education, Beatrice Inyangala.
The meeting was held at the Jogoo House B offices, Nairobi, with deliberations aimed at agreeing on a Return-to-Work Formula with the unions to ensure that universities resume normal operations promptly.
Wasonga demanded that the ministry apologise for intimidating university teaching staff and urged the IPUCCF to review the way it engages the dons.
He said he would urge union members to accept an 80-20 payment plan after the ministry made concessions and agreed to a 50-50 plan to clear the Sh7.94 billion being demanded.
“Eighty per cent will be Sh5 billion, so that Sh2 billion is taken to 2026–27. That is my irreducible minimum for the sake of you, Mr Chair, the committee members, and the students of this country,” Wasonga affirmed.
The union boss insisted that the payment plan should be implemented immediately. However, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, who was also present at the meeting, said this would not be possible as the process had to follow due diligence.
When the lecturers went on strike in mid-September, they tabled three key grievances: payment of the second tranche of arrears for the 2021–25 CBA, commencement of negotiations for the 2025–29 CBA, and full implementation of the 2017–21 CBA.
Although Wasonga did not disclose the exact day he would convene the union meeting to reach a consensus on the phased payment proposal, his willingness to cede ground has offered a glimmer of hope for students in 42 public universities who have barely attended a single class this semester.
