A crisis is brewing in Kenya’s public universities as the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) has threatened to go on strike, potentially disrupting learning for thousands of students expected to join universities soon.
The union is protesting the government’s failure to start formal talks on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that is meant to cover the 2025 to 2029 period.
Speaking during an interview on Spice FM, KUSU Secretary General Dr. Charles Mukhwaya expressed deep frustration, accusing the government of dragging its feet and failing to engage with union officials on time.
He dismissed claims circulating that a new agreement is ready to be signed, saying no discussions have even started yet.
“The truth is that there is no CBA ready for signing. What we have is a set of proposals that we submitted to university councils and other stakeholders. Unfortunately, those proposals have been completely ignored,” said Mukhwaya.
“The 2025–2029 CBA should already have been negotiated, signed, and implemented by July 2025. We’re already behind schedule.”
Students at Kenyatta University’s School of Public Health are among many who could be affected if the strike goes ahead.
Dr. Mukhwaya explained that after the union submitted its proposals, it was the responsibility of university councils to review the documents and set up a joint negotiating committee. However, that step hasn’t happened.
Instead, he said, the focus has shifted to developing broad human resource policies that do not address the specific needs of university workers.
“These people received our documents, but they’ve completely ignored us. We’ve not been called to any negotiation meeting.
That’s why the pressure is mounting. We’re already late, and they still haven’t shown any urgency,” he stated. “If the delays continue, we will have no choice but to call for industrial action. The longer they keep us waiting, the closer we move toward a full-blown strike.”
Despite the looming threat of a strike, the union leader did acknowledge that the current 2021–2025 CBA, which is still active, has seen some level of implementation. According to him, the union had agreed with the government that the agreement would be rolled out in phases.
The first payment was made in December, with the second tranche expected by July 1. The final phase is supposed to be completed by the close of the financial year.
Mukhwaya also took issue with Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, criticizing him for recent remarks suggesting that public universities may need to undergo major reforms, including staff restructuring and layoffs, to cut costs.
He accused Mbadi of lacking compassion and understanding, noting that he once worked at the University of Nairobi and should therefore be more sensitive to the realities faced by university employees and students.
Nonetheless, the union signaled its willingness to support financial restructuring, but only if it is done in a fair and transparent way that protects the rights and welfare of university staff.
“As long as restructuring respects the rights of employees and does not turn into a tool for mass layoffs, we are open to discussing new ways to make universities financially sustainable,” Mukhwaya said.
The union’s warning comes at a time when the higher education sector in Kenya is already under immense pressure due to budget cuts and delayed disbursement of funds, raising fears that continued inaction could lead to a major crisis in public universities.
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