UASU Rejects Gov't's Proposal To Pay Ksh7.9 Billion Arrears

The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has rejected the government’s proposal to settle the outstanding Ksh7.9 billion arrears in phases.

Speaking on Friday, October 31, UASU Secretary General Constantine Wesonga insisted that the arrears must be fully settled before lecturers can resume work.

“The payment of Ksh7.9 billion should be done at once immediately. Lecturers through their organs have instructed me that they don’t disseminate knowledge in phases; therefore, their arrears of Ksh7.9 billion, no one should contemplate that it can be paid in phases,” Wesonga stated.

The UASU Secretary General also said the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) must be negotiated and implemented before the lecturers go back to classes.

“The 2025–2029 CBA must be negotiated, signed, registered,  and implemented. We have four months’ arrears; those arrears must be settled before lecturers contemplate going back to work,” Wesonga added.

The announcement by Wesonga comes after the government proposed to pay the Ksh7.9 billion arrears in two phases so that learning in universities can resume.

Initially, the government wanted to pay the salary arrears in 3 phases before proposing to pay in 2 phases.

The university lecturers have been on strike for six weeks since September 17, 2025, paralyzing learning in public universities.

On October 13, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba expressed optimism that the lecturers’ strike would be resolved within a week.

The Education CS said the government and university unions are nearing a breakthrough following extensive negotiations.

"We met with the University union over the weekend in Machakos to work out the issues of the 2017–2021 CBA, and they also have another team that is negotiating the 2025–2029 cycle," he said.

Ogamba added that the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) had already made a substantial offer to settle the arrears in dispute, and a final report is expected soon to guide the next steps.

"We are hoping that they will make a report today to determine how much money is outstanding, and then we will give the way forward. The university lecturers were demanding Ksh7.9 billion, but the SRC has said that it has paid Ksh7.2 billion, meaning that the balance is a balance of Ksh624 million," he added.