With only three days left, public universities are racing against time to resolve outstanding collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with staff unions before lecturers down their tools in their quest for a new pay deal.
The Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) maintains that its strike notice is on, demanding progress on negotiations for the 2025–2029 CBA, with universities and the government.
At the University of Nairobi, management has returned to consultations with the union and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) over an earlier CBA, as the October 2 2026 strike deadline draws closer.
In a letter seen by the Daily Nation , the University of Nairobi says it concluded negotiations with its three recognised unions on the 2017–2021 CBA in April 2026 and subsequently submitted the agreement to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) for consideration.
“The University Management wishes to update members of staff on the status of the implementation of the 2017-2021 Internal Collective Bargaining Agreements (ICBAs) negotiated with the three recognised trade unions, namely UASU, Kusu (Kenya Universities Staff Union) and KUDHEIHA (Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions and Hospitals Workers).
The University successfully concluded negotiations with the three recognised trade unions following extensive consultations in April, 2026. The negotiated CBAs were subsequently submitted to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) for a No-Objection Advisory prior to registration on April 22, 2026,” said the university.
However, SRC raised concerns over several remuneration provisions, including house-to-office allowance, leave allowance, book allowance, professorial allowance, dental and optical allowance, death-in-service benefits, acting allowance, non-practice allowance, prosecutorial allowance and passage allowance.
According to the university, SRC advised it to either revise the agreements to conform with its advisory or provide evidence demonstrating their affordability and sustainability.
“The university management wishes to clarify that the matter is still under consultation and engagement. The university is currently engaging the three trade unions on the proposed way forward and will continue to engage the SRC with a view to securing the necessary No-Objection and progressing the CBA process to conclusion,” reads the letter.
Uasu issued a seven-day strike notice on September 24 2026, giving the government until October 2 to resolve the dispute over the stalled 2025–2029 CBA negotiations. The union is demanding a financial commitment from the government before the agreement is concluded.
Public universities have warned that they do not have funds and cannot take on the additional cost from their existing allocations to commit to a new CBA.
The universities want the National Treasury to provide fresh funding for the agreement, arguing that they are already struggling with a funding shortfall of more than Sh100 billion.
The position was presented to the SRC by the Vice-Chancellors’ Committee following a request by the commission for universities to confirm the funds available to implement the proposed CBA.
The SRC had asked vice-chancellors and principals to provide the information as it assesses the affordability and fiscal sustainability of the 2025–2029 agreements.
But the universities say there is little room to squeeze another financial obligation from their current allocations.
“The Vice-Chancellors’ Committee noted that since the introduction of the Student-Centred University Funding Model (SCFM) the Government has not fully remitted the funding due to Public Universities with the outstanding amount presently standing at over KES 100 billion.
Public Universities Vice-Chancellors Committee Chairperson Prof Daniel Mugendi.
Photo credit: File | Nation
As a result, Public Universities continue to experience severe financial constraints in meeting their existing academic, personnel and operational obligations,” said Prof Daniel Mugendi, the chairperson of the Vice Chancellors’ Committee of Public Universities.
In a letter dated September 23 2026, to SRC, the vice chancellors’ committee said the government had not fully remitted funding due to public universities, with the outstanding amount now standing at more than Sh100 billion. The funding gap, the universities said, has left institutions struggling to meet their existing academic, personnel and operational obligations.
The VCs have asked that the financial requirement arising from the 2025–2029 CBAs be fully funded by the National Treasury, with the money specifically provided for implementation of the agreements.
“They are always saying that universities do not have the financial capacity to negotiate internal CBAs. They have been declining to approve requests from universities to negotiate internal CBAs, claiming that universities would not have the financial capacity to implement them. Now they are asking universities to confirm whether they can fund the national CBAs. What do they expect from the universities when they know they have not been approving their internal CBAs?” posed UASU secretary-general Dr Constantine Wasonga.
Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary-General Dr Constantine Wasonga speaks during a press briefing at the union headquarters in Nairobi on September 24, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation
Dr Wasonga said universities cannot be expected to fund CBAs through student fees, arguing that the institutions are already struggling with huge debts.
“We cannot have CBAs funded from students. You have seen the vice-chancellors also confirm that universities have debts of over Sh100 billion,” said Dr Wasonga.
Dr Wasonga said universities had been unable to negotiate internal CBAs for years because of concerns raised by the SRC over their financial capacity.
“Internal CBAs are in a backlog going as far back as 2010. We have the 2013-2017 CBA and the 2017-2021 CBA. We have not been able to negotiate because the SRC says universities do not have the financial capacity to negotiate internal CBAs,” said Dr Wasonga.
The latest exchange between SRC and the universities now puts the financing of the agreement at the centre of the dispute.
“The commission noted that funds for implementation of the proposed CBAs for public universities for 2025-2029 cycle will be provided by the National Treasury through the student-centred University funding model (SCFM) for Public Universities during the CBA period.
Consequently, individual public universities are expected to receive funding based on the students admitted and the programmes offered under the SCFM,” said SRC in a letter.
