University Lecturers Begin Nationwide Strike Over 4% Salary Offer as UASU Rejects Government Proposal

University lecturers across Kenya have begun a nationwide strike after negotiations between the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) failed to resolve a dispute over salaries and the implementation of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The industrial action begins on Friday, October 2, 2026, after the union rejected a proposed automatic annual salary increment of four per cent, arguing that the offer does not adequately reflect the rising cost of living.

UASU organising secretary said on Thursday, October 1, that the proposed increment was below the prevailing inflation rate, which the union said had remained above six per cent.

“The proposed automatic annual increment of a mere four percent is far below the prevailing inflation rates, which are more than six percent,” the official said.

The union has also demanded the immediate implementation of the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement, saying prolonged delays had left university staff without the benefits and salary adjustments agreed under the four-year deal.

UASU Secretary General Dr Constantine Wasonga said the union had exhausted negotiations and other avenues of engagement and had therefore resolved to proceed with the strike.

He linked the dispute to the Return-to-Work Formula signed on November 5, 2025, which he said committed university councils, the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury to specific measures that had not been fully implemented.

UASU rejects Sh9.76 billion proposal

The union has also rejected a proposed allocation of KSh9.76 billion towards implementation of the 2025-2029 CBA.

Wasonga said the amount would be insufficient to meet the financial obligations arising from the four-year agreement.

“The figure of KSh9.76 billion they are proposing in Machakos, the union is going to reject it. A four-year CBA cannot consume KSh9.76 billion. When we negotiated the 2021-2025 CBA, for two years we consumed KSh9.7 billion, so we cannot imagine a CBA for four years can also consume KSh9.7 billion,” he said.

Apart from salary increments, UASU is demanding harmonisation of allowances for university staff as well as improved terms for car loans and mortgage financing.

Other university workers join strike

The industrial action also involves members of the Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU) and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA).

KUSU Secretary General Charles Mukhwaya blamed the government for the impasse and called on union members to proceed with the strike until their grievances are addressed.

The unions’ action is expected to affect learning and administrative operations in public universities as staff withdraw their services.

The dispute comes after a series of negotiations between university workers’ unions and government representatives failed to produce an agreement on the implementation of the new CBA.

TVET trainers suspend strike for 14 days

Meanwhile, trainers in technical and vocational education and training institutions have given the government 14 days to resolve their grievances after temporarily suspending industrial action.

The Kenya Union of Technical and Vocational Education Trainers (KUTVET) said it had agreed to suspend the strike to allow further negotiations with the Ministry of Education.

The union has given the government until October 19, 2026, to demonstrate progress in addressing the outstanding issues.

KUTVET has raised concerns over the implementation of the Return-to-Work Formula signed on November 5, 2025, as well as what it described as a rushed review of the TVET curriculum.

The union is also demanding action over the handling of national examinations by the TVET Curriculum Development, Assessment and Certification Council (CDACC), which it has accused of mishandling examination-related matters.

Other grievances include what the union describes as arbitrary transfers and promotions of trainers and inadequate medical cover for its members.

KUTVET warned that its members would resume industrial action if the government fails to make satisfactory progress before the October 19 deadline.

The latest labour dispute places further pressure on the government and education-sector stakeholders to reach agreements with the unions and prevent prolonged disruption of learning in universities and TVET institutions.