Kenya Private Universities Workers Union (KPUWU has revealed that only five per cent of Kenya’s 36 private universities have signed a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with their employees in 2025, raising concerns over potential unfair labour practices.
The union has reiterated that it plans to push this figure to 36 per cent by the end of 2026.
KPUWU Secretary General Peter Owiti described the trend as worrying, noting that while about 40 per cent of private universities have signed Recognition Agreements with the union, these agreements rarely translate into actual CBAs.
“From the recognition agreements, we get only 5 per cent of them signing CBA with the union this year. But we are hoping that by next year, we push at least 30 per cent of private universities to have signed CBAs for their staff,” Owiti said.
According to the union, employees in institutions without a CBA face the risk of unfair labour practices, including poor working conditions and lack of formal dispute resolution mechanisms. Owiti urged staff to join the union to strengthen their bargaining power and secure their labour rights.
The union boss further notes that government provideshttps://educationnews.co.ke/cpstmcgill-university-empowers-women-legislators-in-gender-equality-training/ conducive working environment hence creating and enforcing labour laws, constitution as well as the International Labour Organization (ILO) convention, however, the benefits provided by government’s laws are very minimal but with trade union through CBA, there are maximum benefits.
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“Failure to have a CBA results to no growth for the employee because it means that they are at the mercies of the employer. Once the CBA is signed, it supersedes all other labour laws. It becomes a law on its own since it gives better terms of service for the employees. It also forms a reference point for any court litigation because once the CBA is signed, it’s deposited and registered in the Employment and Labour Relations Court, and becomes a legal document,” he added.
Owiti called upon those private universities that have been threatening and intimidating their staff who join the union adding that such a move will not be accepted since the country’s Constitution, labour laws and ILO conventions give employees a right to join a union of their choice.
He stated that in 2026 the union is planning to recruit more members so that it can reach out to more private universities and colleges in the first quarter of 2026, carry out continuous trade union education for members both physical and online, and sign more CBAs and provide maximum possible benefits to their members.
The union recently signed a CBA with African Nazarene University (ANU) after seven years of push and pull, with KPUWU Nazarene Chapter representative John Ngila stating that the CBA marks a historic moment in the university since it’s more than a contract that represents a bold statement about inclusivity, dignity, and shared growth.
The signed CBA will see employees at ANU getting a 5 per cent on their salaries being cost of living adjustment, setting up of performance management which will also pay bonuses for those employees who perform well, with promotion of employees being done annually for those who qualify.
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Further to these benefits, employees will enjoy free tuition waiver on all programmes being offered at ANU, getting local travel allowance at Ksh43 per km which is considerably higher than the previous Ksh25 per km which they used to get initially, with house and transport allowances being increased by 5 per cent annually.
KPUWU was first registered on January 22, 2013 as Kenya Private Universities Non-Teaching Workers Union, in terms of the Labor Relations Act, 2007, laws of Kenya and went into full operation in the same year.
The union was founded by Owiti and initially registered as Kenya Private Universities Non-Teaching Workers Union then later the lectures demanded to be also incorporated, so he later changed the name to Kenya Private Universities Workers Union since then he has represented over a thousand workers.
Since its formation, the union has facilitated and enabled education for both academic and non-academic staff in private universities effectively represented workers and staff in private universities regarding matters related to labour and employment through mediation and conciliation and in extreme cases litigation has come in handy.
It has also facilitated signing of various CBAs in many institutions while in a number of them, the CBAs are in are in the final stages of actualization, agitated for Industrial harmony in select universities and colleges for smooth working relationship in work spaces to enhanced worker motivation and improved productivity among others.
By Roy Hezron
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