University lecturers and staff have rejected the government’s latest offer to end their ongoing strike, insisting that they will only return to class once all their demands are fully met.
The lecturers and staff, represented by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), have termed the offer to settle Ksh7.9 billion in arrears in two phases as unacceptable.
Speaking on Friday during a press briefing in Nairobi, UASU Secretary General Constantine Wesonga announced that both the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Delegates Conference (NDC) had unanimously rejected the proposal, insisting that lecturers must be paid in full before resuming work.
“The payment of Ksh7.9 billion must be done once and immediately. Lecturers do not deliver knowledge in phases; therefore, no one should ever imagine that they can pay their arrears in phases,” Wesonga declared.
He added that lecturers have endured years of broken promises and delayed payments, noting that the government has repeatedly failed to honour signed agreements.
“No one should imagine or think that the decade-long arrears can be paid in phases because we do not disseminate knowledge in phases,” he reiterated.
Wesonga further stated that the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) must be negotiated, registered, and implemented in full before the lecturers consider returning to class. He also revealed that universities owe staff four months in unpaid salaries, which must be cleared immediately.
“The 2025–2029 CBA must be negotiated, registered in total before a return to class. We have four months’ arrears which must be paid before we can go back to class,” he said.
According to UASU, all public universities and their constituent colleges will remain closed until the demands are met. “All public universities and their constituent colleges will remain on strike until all the demands are met. All 38 chapters must re-energise and relaunch the strike,” Wesonga directed.
The tough stance comes barely a day after UASU, alongside the Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU) and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA), had signalled readiness to resume duties after the government proposed to clear the arrears in two instalments.
However, Wesonga revealed that following urgent NEC and NDC meetings held overnight and on Friday morning, both organs voted overwhelmingly to reject the phased payment plan.
“NEC met last night and rejected the offer. The NDC also met this morning and agreed that we cannot accept a deal that does not settle all our arrears at once,” he explained.
The government had hoped that the phased payment proposal would pave the way for normal learning to resume in universities, where thousands of students have been stranded for weeks. However, UASU maintains that the strike will continue until the arrears are paid in full and the new CBA is concluded, leaving the fate of higher education in limbo.
