Government, lecturers strike Sh20 billion deal to reopen public universities on Monday

Government, lecturers strike Sh20 billion deal to reopen public universities on Monday - Government and university lecturers have reached a Sh20 billion deal to end a four-week strike, paving the way for classes to resume on Monday, November 2. (Photo: UASU Kenya)

The agreement paves the way for classes to resume on November 2 after four weeks of disruption in 35 public institutions, with the deal set for formal signing on Friday.

Thousands of university students could return to lecture halls on Monday after the government and lecturers struck a Sh20 billion deal to end a four-week strike that brought learning in 35 public institutions to a standstill.

The two sides reached a verbal agreement on Wednesday, October 28, paving the way for the resumption of academic activities on November 2, 2026.

Speaking after the negotiations, Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga said the parties had agreed on the financial terms, bringing the prolonged industrial dispute closer to an end.

“We have a deal on the financials. Tomorrow our technical team is going to sit down to put what we have agreed on on paper and terms,” Wasonga said.

He said technical teams would meet on Thursday to work out specific allocations for individual university staff members before the agreement is formally signed on Friday, October 30.

Wasonga thanked Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi and Internal Security Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo for their involvement in the negotiations.

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“I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the CS Ministry of Education and the CS National Treasury and PS in charge of Internal Security, Dr Raymond Omollo,” he said.

The UASU secretary-general described the breakthrough as a significant achievement, noting that the latest round of negotiations took approximately three hours.

“What took the vice-chancellors and ourselves years to get an agreement, we have taken exactly three hours and we’ve got a deal,” Wasonga said.

The strike began on October 2, involving lecturers affiliated with UASU, the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) and KUDHEIHA, who were demanding fresh negotiations and implementation of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).

Previous negotiations had collapsed after the government offered Sh12 billion, which the unions rejected. On Monday, October 26, an inter-ministerial committee presented a revised offer of Sh11.96 billion, which was also rejected.

The government subsequently increased its offer to Sh20 billion, an amount the lecturers accepted, according to the report.

The industrial action disrupted learning in 35 public institutions and triggered student protests over the prolonged interruption of academic activities.

The anticipated return to classrooms is expected to bring relief to thousands of students whose studies have been disrupted by the four-week standoff.