University lecturers reject government's Sh11 billion offer, say strike will go on
Unions say the offer amounts to a 3 percent pay rise. The strike at public universities began on 2 October.
Based on reporting by Capital FM, The Standard and People Daily.
Kenyatta University's Mombasa campus. File photo, 2025. Photo: Bahnfrend / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
Lecturers at public universities have rejected the government's latest offer for their 2025 to 2029 pay deal and say their strike will continue. The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) said on Monday that talks with an inter-ministerial committee ended without agreement.
The unions say the offer, about Sh11 billion, amounts to a 3 percent rise in basic salary. UASU said it was lower than the offer tabled on 12 October. Secretary General Dr Constantine Wasonga has said an offer at that level does not reflect current economic conditions.
UASU wants a better offer, a concluded 2025 to 2029 agreement, a commitment that salaries will be paid through the National Exchequer, and a rise that reflects higher living costs. "UASU will not relent until our demands are substantively addressed," the union said.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has said the government is working with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and the National Treasury to improve its offer. He has urged lecturers to return to work while talks continue, warning that a long strike costs students learning time.
The strike began on 2 October. No date has been set for the next round of talks.
