The government has released Sh2.5 billion to public universities to implement Phase Two of the 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for lecturers, in an effort to ease tensions with the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and avert a nationwide strike.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba confirmed the disbursement on Monday, calling on the union to withdraw its strike notice and allow dialogue to continue.
“The government has shown goodwill by releasing these funds. We appeal to the lecturers’ union to call off the strike and allow dialogue to proceed,” Ogamba said.
He further revealed that his ministry was working with the National Treasury to address arrears from previous agreements. “We are in constant communication with the National Treasury to ensure the Sh2.7 billion arrears are cleared within two weeks,” the CS added.
Despite this announcement, UASU has rejected the government’s assurances, insisting that lecturers remain owed significant amounts from earlier CBAs.
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Secretary General Constantine Wasonga accused the state of consistently failing to honour negotiated and registered agreements. “CBA arrears have accumulated to Sh3.27 billion. This is one of the CBAs that have not been honoured. The court had issued a directive for more funds to be allocated to cater for the CBAs, but the government has not yet complied,” Wasonga said.
On September 10, the union issued a seven-day strike notice signed by forty-one universities, declaring that academic staff would “discontinue their services in all public universities” if the arrears were not settled.
Wasonga stressed that lecturers would only stand down once the funds are reflected in their accounts and binding commitments are made on all pending payments.
Last year, the government committed to phased payments under the 2021–2025 CBA. While Sh3.4 billion was disbursed in January 2025, the next tranche of Sh2.73 billion, due in June, remains unpaid. A further Sh2.73 billion, earmarked for the 2026/2027 fiscal year, is also in limbo.
This standoff is not new. Over the past decade, CBAs between UASU and the government have frequently sparked industrial unrest, largely because of delayed or incomplete implementation.
For example, the 2017–2021 CBA faced ongoing conflicts after the Treasury delayed releasing funds, leading to repeated lecturer strikes.
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