Teaching and learning in public universities across Kenya is set to be disrupted after three workers’ unions announced the commencement of a nationwide strike. The Universities’ Academic Staff Union (UASU), Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU) and Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions and Hospitals Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA) are expected to begin the strike at midnight after negotiations with the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) failed to reach an agreement.
The dispute centres on the implementation of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), with the unions rejecting a proposed annual salary increase of four per cent.
Unions Reject 4 Per Cent Salary Proposal
The university unions have dismissed the four per cent annual salary increment proposed by IPUCCF, arguing that the offer does not adequately address their demands. They are instead calling for the immediate implementation of the 2025–2029 CBA, which forms the basis of their demands on salaries and other employment conditions.
The unions maintain that previous commitments made by university councils, the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury have not been honoured. According to the unions, the latest standoff follows the failure to implement a Return-to-Work Formula signed on November 5, 2025. The disagreement has now escalated into industrial action, with the strike expected to affect academic and other operations in public universities.
KUTVET Suspends Strike for 14 Days
Meanwhile, the Kenya Union of Technical and Vocational Education Trainers (KUTVET) has temporarily suspended its planned strike for 14 days to allow room for further discussions with the Ministry of Education. The union has raised several concerns affecting trainers and the management of technical and vocational education institutions.
KUTVET is particularly opposed to what it describes as a hurried curriculum review in TVET institutions and concerns surrounding the administration of national examinations by the TVET Curriculum Development, Assessment and Certification Council (CDACC). The union has also raised concerns over staff transfers and promotions, as well as the need for improved medical cover for its members.
October 19 Strike Deadline
KUTVET has warned that its temporary suspension of the strike will only hold while negotiations continue. The union says it will direct its members to withdraw their services on October 19, 2026, if meaningful progress is not made in resolving the outstanding grievances.
The developments come amid wider labour disputes within Kenya’s education sector, with unions pushing for the implementation of previously agreed terms and improved working conditions. The outcome of ongoing negotiations between the education unions and the government is expected to determine whether the university strike can be resolved and whether KUTVET members will return to industrial action later this month.
