Kenyan university strike talks end without deal; unions await government counter-offer

Crisis talks on Thursday 8 October failed to end the strike at Kenya's public universities, the Nation reported that day. The unions and the government gave different readings of the progress made.

Technical teams from the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (Kudheiha) met the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF), with the Ministry of Labour in attendance, according to the Nation. The strike began on 2 October, as Fica News reported at the time.

UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga said they had met and done simulations on the process, according to the Nation. "The chairman will present to the government and let them consult, decide and give a counter-offer," he said, adding: "We hope after consultations they're going to invite us."

KUSU Secretary General Charles Mukhwaya described the process as "Miniature progress; nothing to write home about", according to the Nation.

According to the Nation, Principal Secretary for Higher Education Dr Beatrice Inyangala said the government had "made progress on the 2017–2021 and 2021–2025 CBAs", the collective bargaining agreements, and that "a number of issues that had remained unresolved for years have now been addressed". She said the remaining issues could be resolved through engagement.

Inyangala gave no date for students to return to class. "I would rather give students an honest answer than announce a date for the sake of making headlines," she said, as quoted by the Nation. She added: "We have no interest in signing an agreement simply to end a strike and then come back with another dispute because the commitments cannot be honoured."

She urged the unions to "stay at the negotiating table, maintain good faith".

The unions want the 2025–2029 CBA implemented. On 2 October, Citizen Digital reported that IPUCCF had proposed an annual salary increment of 4 per cent and that the unions rejected it. The unions also rejected a KSh 9.76 billion settlement, saying it had not been negotiated, according to Citizen Digital.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said on 5 October, at World Teachers' Day celebrations, that "all arrears under the 2017-2021 and 2021-2025 CBAs have been cleared", Kenyans.co.ke reported. He urged lecturers to "obey court orders and return to work", and said the government was committed to "timely negotiations and conclusion of all future CBAs, including the 2025-2029 CBA".

In the same 5 October report, Kenyans.co.ke said Wasonga attributed the strike to the government's failure to implement the 2025–2029 CBA, and said the university councils, the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury had not honoured the Return-to-Work Formula signed on 5 November 2025.

The Nation said students have not been learning for the past week.