Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba has urged striking university lecturers to return to class and comply with court orders, saying the government remains committed to resolving disputes over the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Speaking during World Teachers’ Day celebrations on Monday, Ogamba said lecturers should allow ongoing negotiations to continue instead of disrupting learning in public universities.
He maintained that the government had made progress in addressing issues affecting university staff and remained open to dialogue with unions.
“We appeal to our lecturers to obey court orders and go back to class as discussions continue,” said Ogamba.
University Lecturers Urged to Embrace Dialogue
The Cabinet Secretary said the government had made progress in addressing concerns raised by university staff unions and remained committed to concluding negotiations on the 2025-2029 CBA.
Ogamba noted that dialogue remained the best path to resolving the dispute, urging lecturers to give ongoing talks a chance and avoid further disruption to students’ learning programs across public universities.
The appeal comes as the nationwide strike by university lecturers entered its fourth day, crippling learning in several institutions.
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The industrial action has affected universities across the country, leaving thousands of students uncertain about lectures, examinations and graduation schedules.
University staff unions have maintained that the strike will continue until the government addresses key issues, including the implementation of the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement, improved remuneration and funding commitments for public universities.
The strike was called by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) and KUDHEIHA after talks with the government and university councils failed to produce an agreement on the new CBA.
The unions argue that negotiations have dragged on for months without a satisfactory offer, accusing the government of failing to honour commitments made following previous industrial actions.
They have also raised concerns over allowances, staff welfare and the long-term financing of public universities.
Union leaders say lecturers will remain off duty until meaningful progress is made at the negotiating table.
Details of the CBA
At the centre of the strike is the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which lecturers say remains unresolved nearly a year after negotiations began.
The unions are demanding higher salaries, harmonised allowances across public universities, car loan and mortgage facilities, and a written government commitment that the agreement will be funded through the National Exchequer rather than student fees or university-generated income.
They also want public university lecturers to retain their status as public officers, greater involvement in the development of human resource policies affecting academic staff, and full implementation of commitments contained in the November 2025 return-to-work formula.
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The unions have further linked the dispute to broader concerns over delayed staff payments, underfunding of public universities, the current funding model, and what they describe as outstanding obligations running into billions of shillings.
They have rejected a proposed Ksh9.76 billion allocation for the new CBA, arguing that it is insufficient to cover a four-year agreement that includes salary reviews, allowances, and new benefits.
With the strike now entering its fourth day, concerns are growing over its impact on the academic calendar.
The industrial action comes at a critical time for public universities, with many institutions preparing for end-of-semester examinations, project assessments, research supervision and graduation processing.
A prolonged standoff could delay examinations, graduations, the release of results, registration for new semesters and the completion of coursework required for graduation, potentially affecting thousands of students across the country.
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