Deal Reached After Seven-Week Stalemate

University lecturers and staff have called off their 49-day nationwide strike after signing a return-to-work agreement with the government on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. The deal brings an end to a protracted industrial action that began on September 17, 2025, disrupting learning for more than 600,000 students across Kenya's 35 public universities.

The agreement, witnessed by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, centres on the government's commitment to pay the outstanding Sh7.9 billion in salary arrears from the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The funds will be disbursed in two installments. The first tranche of approximately Sh3.9 billion is scheduled for payment between November and December 2025, with the final balance to be cleared by July 2026.

Leaders of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU), and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals & Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA) confirmed the agreement. "We have agreed to be paid in two instalments... We are happy that we have secured the whole amount," UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga announced on Wednesday.

The Path to Resolution

The resolution followed weeks of intense deadlock. The unions had initially rejected the government's proposal to pay the arrears in phases, insisting on a full, one-off payment. This hardline stance was adopted, according to union officials, due to a history of the government failing to honour phased-payment pledges, which they argued would only lead to future strikes. The government, through Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, cited significant fiscal constraints and a ballooning public wage bill as the reason for its inability to pay the lump sum. Appearing before the National Assembly's Education Committee on Tuesday, November 4, Mbadi stressed that the country's wage bill had grown to nearly Sh960 billion a year, making the phased payment the only viable option.

The dispute over the exact amount owed was another point of contention. While unions maintained the figure was Sh7.94 billion, a government verification exercise put the sum at Sh7.76 billion. However, the final agreement appears to have settled on the unions' figure. The breakthrough came after intervention by the Parliamentary Committee on Education, where the unions signalled a willingness to reconsider their position for the sake of the students whose academic lives were in limbo.

Impact on Kenya's Higher Education

The seven-week strike had a severe impact on the higher education sector. Several universities, including Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and Egerton University, were forced to suspend academic activities indefinitely and order students to vacate their campuses. The standoff left thousands of students stranded, with many, particularly first-years, facing uncertainty and financial hardship. The disruption threatened to create a lost academic semester, delaying graduations and students' entry into the job market.

The signed agreement addresses several other key issues. It guarantees that no university employee will be victimised or lose benefits for participating in the strike, and any disciplinary actions initiated during the period will be withdrawn unconditionally. Furthermore, the deal commits all parties to conclude negotiations for the subsequent 2025–2029 CBA within 30 days, a key demand from the unions. Universities are now expected to revise their academic calendars to recover the seven weeks of lost time.

A Recurring Crisis

This standoff is the latest in a series of industrial actions that have plagued Kenya's public universities for years, often stemming from the underfunding of CBAs and broader financial distress within the institutions. Many universities are grappling with significant debt, making them unable to meet operational costs, remit statutory deductions, or honour salary agreements without timely and adequate exchequer releases. This systemic funding crisis, exacerbated by stagnant tuition fees and challenges with the new Student-Centered Funding Model, continues to pose a threat to the stability and quality of higher education in Kenya. While the current agreement provides immediate relief, the underlying financial health of public universities remains a critical issue for the government and education stakeholders to address to prevent future disruptions.