The University of Nairobi (UoN) has instructed its lecturers and academic staff to resume work on Monday, October 6, despite the ongoing nationwide strike by university staff.
The directive follows an order by the Employment and Labor Relations Court (ELRC) on September 19, 2025, which suspended the strike organized by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU), and Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA). The court directed all parties involved to engage in a conciliation process to resolve the dispute.
In a statement signed by Prof. Ayub Gitau, Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), UoN described the strike as unprotected. “All students are expected to attend classes without fail, and academic and administrative staff are required to discharge their duties as scheduled,” Prof. Gitau stated.
For nearly three weeks, lecturers across the country have downed their tools, demanding that the government honors the 2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The unions have accused the government of failing to remit Ksh.7.9 billion owed to academic staff under the agreement.
However, Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba disputed this figure, saying that the outstanding balance is Ksh.624 million, not Ksh.7.9 billion. Ogamba noted that most obligations have already been met through payments disbursed in three tranches: Ksh.4.3 billion for October 2024–June 2025, Ksh.2.73 billion for the 2025/2026 financial year, and another Ksh.2.73 billion scheduled for 2026/2027.
UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga dismissed the CS’s claims, challenging the government to produce evidence of payment. “Show us the payslips and the bank transmissions. Don’t come up with cooked figures,” he said.
With the unions insisting on verification of payments, the standoff between university staff and the government remains unresolved — even as UoN pushes for the immediate resumption of learning.
