African Nazarene University (ANU) Lecturers have officially commenced an industrial strike, citing the institution’s failure to sign a long-awaited Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that has been in negotiation for long.
The strike, which began today, October 2, follows the lapse of a seven-day strike notice issued to the university administration. The lecturers, under the Kenya Private Universities Workers Union (KPUWU) Nazarene Chapter, accused their employer of deliberately stalling the process despite a certificate of completion of negotiations being issued by the Ministry of Labour on September 12, 2025.
“This is the first CBA in Kenya’s private university sector, and we are here for nothing but its signing,” said KPUWU Secretary General Peter Owiti. “We’ve worked on this for eight years. The employer’s reluctance is unacceptable.”
The comprehensive CBA covers critical areas including recruitment procedures, improved remuneration, leave entitlements (maternity and annual), professional development support, and training opportunities. Lecturers argue that the agreement meets international labour standards, and its rejection undermines both legal and ethical obligations.
Joseph Ndonga, a senior lecturer at ANU, told Education News that the strike is legal and was communicated to the Ministry of Labour. “We’ve avoided the court route and chosen dialogue. We’ve made ourselves available, but the employer took that for granted,” he said.
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Ndonga revealed that a meeting convened on October 1, by the Commissioner of Labour collapsed after the university administration allegedly remained uncooperative. “They even attempted to threaten us,” he added, referencing tactics similar to those used in public universities, such as threats to freeze salaries.
Lecturers have vowed to continue the strike until the CBA is signed. They are expected to attend a meeting tomorrow with the Cabinet Secretary for Labour. However, they warn that failure to sign the agreement will see the strike resume on Monday.
“This is about dignity, legality, and precedent,” Owiti emphasized. “Out of 35 private universities in Kenya, this is the first CBA. We hope the pressure will yield results. No signed CBA, no work.”
Owiti dismissed threats of salary freezes referencing to similar tactics used to unsuccessfully tame their colleagues from the public universities “Industrial action is a protected right under the ILO convention 187, threats won’t work,” he said
By Masaki Enock
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