- The government has released funds to settle CBA arrears owed to staff across 38 public universities, with UoN receiving the largest share.
- University staff were owed approximately KSh7.94 billion under the 2017–2021 CBA, with UoN, Kenyatta University and JKUAT accounting for nearly 39 per cent of the total.
- UASU and KUSU have continued pressing the government over the unresolved 2025–2029 CBA, warning of a possible teaching boycott from September 2026.
The government has released funds to settle long-outstanding Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) arrears owed to staff in Kenya’s public universities, with the University of Nairobi (UoN) receiving the largest share of the disbursement.
The Universities Academic Staff Union confirmed on August 11, 2026, that funds arising from the 2017–2021 and 2021–2025 CBAs had been disbursed by the National Treasury and the Ministry of Education to 38 public universities and constituent colleges, which have now begun the payment process.
UASU Secretary General Dr Constantine Wasonga said the payments will be processed through the Joint Local Implementation Committees, operating under the guidance of the National Implementation Committee.
The disbursement follows an audit and verification exercise across the 38 institutions, which established that university staff were owed approximately KSh7.94 billion in outstanding arrears under the 2017–2021 CBA. The verification placed the overall cost of implementing the agreement at approximately KSh16.57 billion, with government funding under the agreement amounting to KSh8.81 billion and universities meeting the remaining obligations from their own resources.
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Institutional Allocations
The University of Nairobi received approximately KSh1.61 billion, representing 18.67 per cent of the total amount paid to staff. Kenyatta University followed with approximately KSh855.66 million, while Moi University received about KSh817.86 million.
JKUAT received approximately KSh548.04 million, followed by the Technical University of Kenya with KSh427.45 million and Egerton University with KSh358.77 million. Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology received approximately KSh349.35 million, Maseno University KSh256.36 million, the University of Eldoret KSh252.91 million and Kisii University KSh233.90 million.
The Technical University of Mombasa received KSh233.13 million, Chuka University KSh224.19 million, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology KSh213.70 million, while Machakos University received approximately KSh201.79 million. Kibabii University received approximately KSh148.08 million, equivalent to about 1.72 per cent of the reported total.
Other beneficiary institutions include South Eastern Kenya University, Karatina University, Pwani University, Maasai Mara University, Multimedia University of Kenya, Dedan Kimathi University of Technology, University of Kabianga, University of Embu, Murang’a University, the Co-operative University of Kenya and Meru University of Science and Technology. At the lower end of the allocations are Koitalel Samoei University College, Tom Mboya University, Alupe University, Bomet University College and Turkana University College.
The University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University and JKUAT collectively account for approximately 38.79 per cent of the reported arrears, reflecting the size of their staff establishments and the financial obligations that accumulated during the implementation period.
Outstanding Balances
The verification exercise also established substantial outstanding balances at individual institutions beyond the current disbursement. The University of Nairobi had the highest outstanding staff arrears at approximately KSh1.41 billion, followed by Kenyatta University at KSh846.98 million and JKUAT at KSh827.67 million.
Moi University had approximately KSh716.18 million outstanding, while Egerton University had KSh638.20 million. Maseno University had approximately KSh387.44 million, the University of Eldoret KSh383.53 million, and the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) KSh377.65 million.
Kisii University had about KSh299.23 million outstanding, while Maasai Mara University had approximately KSh190.11 million.
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Implementation Process
Individual universities must now verify staff claims, process payroll data and distribute the funds in line with the agreed CBA guidelines, with the Joint Local Implementation Committees overseeing the process to ensure payments reach eligible staff.
The release of the historical arrears does not resolve the broader labour dispute in the university sector. UASU and the Kenya Universities Staff Union have been pressing the government over unresolved issues surrounding the 2025–2029 CBA, and the unions had warned of a possible teaching boycott beginning in September 2026 if negotiations and implementation issues remain unresolved.
By Hillary Muhalya
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