The government and university lecturers have reached a verbal agreement worth Sh20 billion to end a four-week strike that has disrupted learning in public universities across the country.

University Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary-General Constantine Wesonga said the agreement would be formally signed on Friday, October 30, after technical teams from both sides document the terms.

Addressing the press after the negotiations, Wesonga said the deal had resolved the financial dispute between the government and the unions.

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

He added that lecturers were expected to resume teaching on Monday, November 2, 2026.

Lecturers drawn from UASU, the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) and KUDHEIHA began the strike on October 2, paralysing learning in 35 public universities and other public institutions.

The unions had demanded fresh negotiations and the implementation of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).

Government Raises Offer to Sh20 Billion

Negotiations had faced several setbacks, with the government initially maintaining that it could not offer more than Sh12 billion.

Last week, the government reportedly presented a Sh12 billion offer, which the unions rejected.

On Monday, October 26, an inter-ministerial committee submitted a revised offer of Sh11.96 billion. The unions turned it down, arguing that the proposal was slightly lower than the earlier Sh12 billion figure.

The unions had also argued that the Sh12 billion offer would translate into a basic salary increase of about three per cent.

The government subsequently raised its offer to Sh20 billion on Thursday, a figure the lecturers accepted.

Wesonga said the agreement was reached through negotiations rather than imposed on the unions.

“Today we have agreed on a figure we have negotiated with the government, not a figure imposed on the unions,” he said.

The planned signing of the agreement on Friday is expected to formalise the financial terms and pave the way for lecturers to return to class.