Lecturers from public universities held a peaceful demonstration in Nairobi on Wednesday, demanding that the government settle outstanding payments owed under the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), as their strike entered its fourth week.
The striking dons assembled at Chancellor’s Square at the University of Nairobi before marching to Parliament Buildings, the National Treasury, and finally the Ministry of Education headquarters at Jogoo House.
Chanting slogans and singing solidarity songs, the lecturers, under the banners of the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU), called for the release of the remaining Sh7.9 billion they claim the government still owes them.
UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wesonga dismissed ongoing negotiations as futile, saying lecturers would not return to class until the full amount is disbursed.
“We already know what tomorrow’s outcome will be. We will table our audit, take tea, and return, because this strike will not end until Sh7.1 billion hits our accounts,” he said, referencing an upcoming meeting between union leaders and government officials in Machakos.
UASU National Chairperson Grace Nyongesa said the prolonged strike had left thousands of students stranded across the country’s 42 public universities. “We are marching for victory today. Four years down the line, the value of the Sh7.9 billion has already depreciated,” she said, adding that lecturers are also demanding better working conditions and professional recognition.
KUSU Secretary-General Charles Mukhwaya criticised the government’s handling of the talks, insisting that unions would not back down. “The Ministry of Education, Parliament, and the Treasury must understand — the CBA is our business,” he declared.
Although the government recently released Sh2.73 billion, the unions maintain that they will not resume duty until the full amount is paid and new negotiations for the 2025–2029 CBA begin.
At JKUAT, lecturers also held a separate peaceful gathering, vowing to stay on strike until their dues are settled. The industrial action, now nearing a month, has thrown academic calendars across public universities into disarray.
