ADVERT 
ADVERTKenya’s four-week public university lecturers’ strike is heading towards an end after the government and university staff unions reached a reported Sh20 billion pay agreement under the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), raising hopes of a return to normal academic activities next week.
The breakthrough, announced on Wednesday, October 28, offers relief to thousands of students whose academic programmes have been disrupted since lecturers downed their tools on October 2 over stalled salary negotiations and outstanding concerns about their remuneration and working conditions.
Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary-General Dr Constantine Wasonga said the two sides had agreed on the financial package following intensive negotiations involving senior government officials. The agreement is expected to be formally documented and signed on Friday, October 30, before the union officially calls off the strike.
Wasonga said the union’s technical team would put the negotiated terms in writing, paving the way for lecturers to resume teaching and students to return to lecture halls on Monday, November 2.
“Today we have agreed on a figure we have negotiated with the government, not a figure imposed on the union,” Wasonga said, signalling a significant breakthrough in a dispute that had appeared increasingly difficult to resolve.
ADVERTThe agreement followed high-level consultations involving Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi and Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, with State House engagements also forming part of the efforts to break the deadlock.
Wasonga thanked the officials for helping bring the parties together and urged lecturers to prepare to return to their respective institutions once the strike is formally called off.
The anticipated settlement marks a major shift from earlier government proposals that the unions had rejected as inadequate to meet their demands under the new four-year agreement.
According to reports published on October 28, the government had previously tabled offers of approximately Sh9.76 billion and Sh11.95 billion, with a further proposal of about Sh11.96 billion presented on October 26. UASU maintained that the amounts were insufficient to address the full range of salary adjustments and allowances sought by its members.
The reported Sh20 billion package represents a substantial increase on the latest offer, although the detailed distribution, implementation timetable and individual benefits remain subject to formal documentation by the negotiating teams.
The union had sought approximately Sh98 billion for the 2025–2029 CBA, encompassing salary reviews and improved allowances. The gap between its original demand and the latest reported agreement underscores the difficult compromises required to bring the dispute closer to a conclusion.
For students, parents and university administrators, however, the immediate priority is the restoration of learning after nearly a month of uncertainty.
The formal signing on Friday and the planned return to class on Monday will be critical milestones in determining whether the agreement delivers a lasting end to the industrial action.
