Ogamba Promises Swift CBA Deal as Lecturers Face Return-to-Work Call

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba has urged striking university lecturers to resume teaching, assuring them that the government is committed to resolving the dispute over the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement

Speaking during the World Teachers’ Day celebrations at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi on Monday, October 5, Ogamba said the government had cleared outstanding arrears from previous CBAs and was ready to negotiate and conclude the current agreement.

“I therefore call upon university staff unions and our individual lecturers to reciprocate the good faith, obey the orders of court and return to work,” Ogamba said.

Lecturers on strike over CBA

The appeal comes just days after university lecturers and other staff began a nationwide strike on October 2.

Members of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU), alongside other university workers, withdrew their services after negotiations with the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) failed to produce an agreement.

The unions are demanding implementation and negotiation of the 2025–2029 CBA, arguing that employment terms should be agreed through collective bargaining rather than government directives or circulars.

A major point of disagreement is a proposed KSh9.76 billion allocation for the agreement. UASU has rejected the figure, arguing that it was not negotiated with the unions and would not adequately finance a four-year agreement.

Government says previous arrears cleared

Ogamba sought to reassure university workers by pointing to the settlement of historical salary arrears.

He said outstanding obligations under the 2017–2021 and 2021–2025 CBAs had been fully paid, describing the move as evidence of the government’s commitment to lecturers’ welfare.

The CS said the same approach would guide negotiations on the current CBA, promising timely engagement and conclusion of future agreements.

The government is therefore seeking to shift the dispute from industrial action back to negotiations, while urging unions to comply with court orders requiring lecturers to return to work.

Unions maintain their position

Despite the government’s assurances, the unions have maintained that their concerns go beyond the proposed financial allocation.

UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga said the union had exhausted available channels of engagement before calling the strike. He argued that the proposed KSh9.76 billion was insufficient, noting that a previous two-year CBA had consumed a similar amount.

University workers have also raised concerns over staff shortages, heavy workloads, university funding and the manner in which employees are paid.

The dispute has consequently disrupted teaching and learning in public universities across the country.

Students caught in the middle

Ogamba warned that the industrial action risks disrupting students’ education, urging lecturers and university unions to resolve their differences without bringing learning to a standstill.

The government’s immediate priority is now to restore normal operations in universities while negotiations continue over the 2025–2029 CBA.

For lecturers, however, the central issue remains whether the government’s promises will translate into a formally negotiated and implemented agreement.

The coming negotiations will therefore determine whether the two sides can bridge the gap over funding, salaries and working conditions and bring an end to the latest disruption in Kenya’s public universities.