UoN Lecturers Down Tools as Nationwide Strike Paralyzes Learning
Learning at the University of Nairobi (UoN) has been thrown into disarray after lecturers began a strike, demanding the government implement long-overdue collective bargaining agreements (CBAs).
The strike, which started at around 10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 17, is part of a larger nationwide industrial action called by dons across all public universities.
It was led by members of the University Academic Staff Union (UASU), the Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU), and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals, and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA).
The unions have raised three key demands. First, they want the release of Ksh2.73 billion from Phase Two of the 2021–2025 CBA. Second, they are pushing for Ksh7.9 billion owed from the 2017–2021 CBA. Finally, they want the immediate negotiation and registration of the 2025–2029 CBA.
In videos and images shared online, the lecturers were seen marching through the university, carrying placards, waving banners, and blowing vuvuzelas as they voiced their frustrations.
This strike follows a stern warning issued on September 10, when union leaders declared they would paralyse learning in all public universities if the government failed to act.
“Today, we are issuing a seven-day strike notice over failure by the government to implement the 2021–2025 Phase 2 CBA arrears for the 2025–2026 financial year totaling Ksh2.73 billion,” UASU Secretary General Constantine Wesonga said at the time.
He went on to note that strikes have become the only way to push the government to honour agreements with lecturers.
“We cannot wait any longer. But do not be surprised because we are used to this game. There is no CBA in public universities that we have ever negotiated without going on strike. And since it is what they want, now we are taking the game to their doorstep,” Wesonga added.
On September 16, while reaffirming the strike notice, Wesonga accused the government of blatantly ignoring agreements that had already been signed. He stressed that the State had failed to fully implement the 2021–2025 CBA and had also neglected preparations for the 2025–2029 agreement.
According to him, the dons have been left frustrated by endless delays, despite several meetings and formal requests made to the Ministry of Education and the Treasury. He emphasized that the lecturers are only seeking what is rightfully theirs—billions of shillings that were promised in past CBAs but have yet to be delivered.
This latest strike comes less than a year after another one in October 2024, which was also triggered by delays in paying salary arrears. That strike severely disrupted academic programs and dragged on for weeks.
At the heart of the lecturers’ push are demands for a ten per cent basic salary increase, an additional four per cent annual increment on their salaries, and improved working conditions across all public universities.
The unions argue that without these adjustments, the quality of education and research in Kenya’s higher learning institutions will continue to suffer.
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