University lecturers are set to return to lecture halls on Monday, November 2, 2026, after the government and their unions reached a Sh20 billion deal to end a strike that has disrupted learning in public universities for nearly four weeks.
The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary-General, Constantine Wasonga, announced the breakthrough on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, after talks with the government.
He said the two sides had reached a verbal agreement on the financial terms. Technical teams will put the deal in writing before it is formally signed on Friday, October 30.
“We have a deal on the financials,” Wasonga said. “Today we have agreed on a figure we have negotiated with the government, not a figure imposed on the unions.”
The agreement follows several rounds of talks between the unions and an inter-ministerial team drawn from the Ministries of Education, Public Service and the National Treasury.
The government had initially offered Sh12 billion, which the unions rejected, saying it would raise basic salaries by only about three per cent.
On Monday, October 26, the inter-ministerial committee tabled a revised offer of Sh11.96 billion, which the unions also turned down. The government subsequently raised its offer to Sh20 billion, which the lecturers accepted.
The strike, called by UASU, the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA), began on October 2, 2026. It halted learning in 35 public universities and other institutions.
The unions were seeking fresh negotiations on and the implementation of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).
The deal brings relief to thousands of students whose studies have been on hold and is expected to restore normal learning in public universities next week. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos has also been involved in government efforts to resolve the stalemate.
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