The Universities Academic Staff Union has officially
called off lecturers’ strike following the signing of a return-to-work formula
with the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF).
The deal includes government's commitment to fully implement the 2021–25 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), valued at Sh9.7 billion.
In the agreement, the National Treasury committed to allocate Sh4.3 billion to cater for implementation of the CBA in the 2024-25 financial year under Supplementary Estimates II.
The remaining Sh5.4 billion will be disbursed in two instalments of Sh2.7 billion each in the 2026-27 financial year.
The parties involved also agreed on the withdrawal of all the legal petitions filed to stop the lecturers' strike.
"I want to impress upon lecturers that they should prepare to resume classes on Monday," UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga.
The decision to resume work marks the end of a
prolonged standoff between lecturers and university administrations, providing
relief to students and parents affected by the disruption.
The strike had paralysed learning across all public universities and constituent colleges since September.
To address the time lost during the strike, Wasonga assured stakeholders of measures to recover lost academic time.
"You should prepare to arrange with the university management and Senate to cover the time lost so that the students can get quality education," he told the lecturers after the signing of the deal.
"We will extend
teaching hours during the daily schedule and over weekends to recover time lost
during the industrial strike."
On Thursday, the lectures had refused to return to work unless there was a clear roadmap to settle the whole amount.
The efforts to end the strike hit a dead end on Thursday despite the government’s commitment to avail Sh4.3 billion to implement their pay rise.
UASU said they would only return to work if there was a plan to settle the remaining Sh5.4 billion.
National Assembly’s Education Committee had convened a meeting of the inter-ministerial team to find an end of the industrial action.
The inter-ministerial committee comprised the ministries of Education, Labour and the National Treasury.
The negotiation team also had the IPUCCF and three unions.
The unions were UASU, Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) and Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions and Hospitals Workers (KUDHEIHA).
At the Thursday meeting, Wasonga insisted that the government must commit in writing on how to clear the Sh5.4 billion balance to implement the return to-work formula.
“The strike is on until we get the Sh9.7 billion; we have taken the Sh4.3 billion and the government must tell us how we are getting the Sh5.4 billion and it will not be done verbally,” he said.
The UASU boss said they would get the dons back to lecture halls immediately the government agrees to clear the Sh5.4 billion in two equal instalments.
