Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba has revealed that the government is holding discussions with lecturers’ unions to break the stalemate over the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which has disrupted learning in public universities nationwide.
The striking lecturers are demanding Ksh11.53 billion in cumulative arrears, comprising Ksh2.73 billion in pending dues and Ksh8.8 billion in back pay. In addition, they are pressing for the negotiation, registration, and enforcement of a fresh 2025–29 CBA.
On Friday, September 26, 2025, while addressing the Senate Standing Committee on Education during a meeting in Mombasa County, Ogamba assured lawmakers that talks are ongoing to reach a lasting settlement that will see lecturers return to lecture halls. The session kicked off a two-day retreat examining broader challenges facing the education sector, such as access, equity, financing, transitions, and reforms.
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The 2017-2021 issue pertains to the amount that should have been paid at that time, and SRC has stated that they have already paid the annual salary increment for those years. It should be an issue of balance. Not all universities are on strike; some are operating as usual. We are trying to ensure that the issue is resolved as soon as possible,” Ogamba stated.
The CS’s pledge comes barely a week after he warned striking lecturers to obey a ruling by the Employment and Labour Relations Court on September 18, 2025, which directed them to suspend the industrial action. Even so, members of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) have vowed to continue the boycott until their grievances are addressed.
Ogamba has previously maintained that the government has already released Ksh2.5 billion under the second phase of the 2024–25 CBA. “We have done a lot in this sector, and we agreed that all grievances can be discussed without going on strike and affecting our learners,” he noted.
While in Mombasa, the Education CS also emphasised the crucial role of the Senate Standing Committee on Education, calling it a vital stakeholder in providing oversight on devolved functions within the sector.
By Joseoh Mambili
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