Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary-General Dr Constantine Wasonga said the recent agreement that ended the nationwide lecturers’ strike had not fully resolved the issues that triggered the industrial dispute.
Addressing a joint sitting of the National Assembly's Labour and Education committees, Wasonga said the union remained concerned about the proposed funding of university staff salaries through students’ fees and the failure to settle approximately Sh100 billion in outstanding remittances.
The lecturers returned to work on October 30 following a month-long strike that paralysed learning in public universities across the country.
The industrial action was called off after the government agreed to provide Sh20 billion towards the implementation of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
However, UASU maintains that the agreement alone cannot guarantee lasting industrial peace unless the government establishes a clear and legally binding framework for financing university employees.
The union argues that salaries and other employment obligations should be financed through the National Exchequer and approved parliamentary allocations rather than relying on money collected from students.
Wasonga warned that using tuition fees to pay lecturers could undermine the financial stability of universities and compromise the principle of public funding for higher education.
Concerns over CBA funding
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) told the parliamentary committees that the State Department for Higher Education had indicated that funding for the new CBA would be channelled through the National Treasury under the student-centred university funding model.
The disclosure has heightened concerns among lecturers, who insist that their salaries should have a clearly defined source of funding.
Labour Principal Secretary Shadrack Mwadime told the committees that the government intended to conclude negotiations on the non-financial components of the CBA by February 20, 2027, before the agreement is registered in court.
SRC Chief Executive Officer Ali Abdullahi said the commission was prepared to facilitate the registration process once the government confirms the availability of the required funds.
Inter-Public Universities Consultative Forum chairman Fred Barasa also cautioned that university councils could not sustainably meet additional employment obligations without corresponding financial allocations.
The latest developments have raised questions about the durability of the return-to-work agreement, with university employees warning that unresolved funding challenges could once again disrupt academic programmes.
For thousands of students who recently returned to lecture halls, another industrial dispute would mean further uncertainty over examinations, academic calendars and graduation timelines.
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