Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala has appealed to striking university lecturers to return to the classroom as negotiations over their collective bargaining agreement continue, saying the government remains committed to resolving their outstanding grievances.
Inyangala made the appeal on Saturday, October 17, 2026, arguing that the government had demonstrated goodwill by settling financial obligations inherited from previous administrations.
She disclosed that the government had paid KSh18.6 billion towards obligations owed to university lecturers over the past two years, describing the payments as evidence of its commitment to improving the welfare of academic staff.
The principal secretary maintained that the government was ready to continue engaging university staff unions to find a lasting solution to the dispute, while ensuring that any agreement reached would be financially sustainable.
She said the proposed collective bargaining agreement must strike a balance between meeting lecturers’ demands and protecting public universities from financial commitments they cannot sustain.
Lecturers demand concrete action
Despite the government’s appeal, the lecturers’ strike continues to disrupt learning in public universities, with unions insisting that outstanding issues concerning their employment agreements and financial entitlements must be resolved.
On October 5, officials from the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) in Kirinyaga County maintained that lecturers would not resume teaching until their demands were met.
UASU Kirinyaga County Branch Secretary-General Dr Robert Gitau said lecturers expected concrete action rather than further promises, underscoring the challenge facing ongoing negotiations.
The unions’ position signals that the government may need to demonstrate further progress on the disputed issues before normal learning can resume.
Students give government October 21 deadline
Meanwhile, students are increasingly concerned about the prolonged industrial action, which threatens examinations, graduation ceremonies and academic calendars across public universities.
On Friday, October 16, the University of Nairobi Students Association gave the government until Wednesday, October 21, to resolve the dispute.
The students warned that they would march to the Ministry of Education if the standoff remained unresolved by the deadline.
Their ultimatum adds pressure on both the government and university staff unions to reach an agreement and prevent further disruption to students’ academic progress.
With the government urging lecturers to resume teaching and unions maintaining that their demands must first be addressed, the dispute remains unresolved.
The KSh18.6 billion payment cited by Inyangala is central to the government’s argument that it has made progress in addressing lecturers’ financial concerns. However, the unions’ continued opposition suggests that outstanding issues remain a major obstacle to a settlement.
The next phase of negotiations will be critical in determining whether the two sides can reach an agreement that addresses lecturers’ grievances, protects the financial sustainability of public universities and allows thousands of students to return to uninterrupted learning.
For students whose academic programmes have been affected, the immediate concern remains whether a settlement can be reached before the disruption causes further delays to examinations and graduation schedules.
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