University students across Kenya may have to brace for an extended break from classes as the nationwide lecturers’ strike continues without signs of resolution.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary General Constantine Wasonga reaffirmed the union’s commitment to industrial action, saying the move was necessary to push for long-overdue reforms in the higher education sector.
“It is unfortunate that we are going to have a long strike. We love our students, but we are being forced to be out,” Wasonga said, emphasizing that the lecturers’ fight was not just about pay but about addressing deep-rooted structural issues in universities.
Wasonga strongly criticised the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) for overstepping its advisory role, accusing it of stifling fair negotiations between lecturers and their employers.
“We are supposed to negotiate with our employer. What is SRC? SRC is supposed to give advice. But the way they are giving that advisory, it means they don’t allow workers to negotiate with their employer,” he stated.
The union leader also dismissed the government’s recent funding proposal, describing it as grossly insufficient.
“Three billion for four years? For all unions? So one billion is for UASU, another for KUSU, and another for KUDHEIHA. And you want to call us to negotiate? That three billion is not even enough,” he lamented, insisting that lecturers deserve annual salary increments as a matter of right.
With talks between the unions and the government still deadlocked, thousands of students across public universities remain uncertain about when learning will resume — raising fears of disrupted academic calendars and delayed graduations.
