By THE DISPATCH DIGITAL REPORTER
Kenya’s public universities are facing a potential shutdown as the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) threatens a nationwide strike over delayed salary payments, unmet terms of a collective bargaining agreement, and dissatisfaction with a new funding model. The union has issued a fresh 7-day strike notice threatening to halt all learning activities in public universities due to unmet demands from the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). This follows an erlier seven-day strike notice at the end of August, which had similarly warned that all teaching activities would be halted if their grievances were not addressed by mid-September.
UASU has condemned irregular salary disbursements, with some institutions, such as the Technical University of Kenya (TUK), reportedly paying only 65% of staff salaries for July. Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga has criticized the government’s handling of the funding model and failure to prioritize university staff payments, emphasizing that further delays will not be tolerated.
Negotiations with the government, represented by the Inter Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF), have so far been inconclusive, and the union remains adamant that no teaching will take place unless their demands are met. The impending strike threatens to disrupt learning, impact thousands of students, and derail the academic calendar across public universities in Kenya.