By Pascal Ndegwa - Reporter
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Kenya,OCtober 28, 2026 - Kenya’s public university lecturers may soon return to work after their union said it reached a verbal deal with the government worth about Ksh20 billion. The agreement could end a four-week strike that stopped learning in universities across the country, but the real test will be whether the government actually pays.
The Universities Academic Staff Union, known as UASU, says lecturers and the government agreed on the package after talks. Reports say the deal is expected to be signed on Friday, October 30, and classes could resume on Monday.
The strike began on October 2 after talks over the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement, or CBA, failed. A CBA is a written agreement between workers and an employer about pay and working conditions. Lecturers wanted better pay and clearer funding for public universities.
Earlier, the government offered about Ksh11.96 billion for the CBA. Lecturers rejected it, saying it amounted to only about a 3% increase in basic salary. They then vowed to intensify the strike.
The new reported offer is much higher, at about Ksh20 billion. But UASU has described it as a verbal agreement, not a signed settlement. That means lecturers, students, and taxpayers should not treat the money as guaranteed until the agreement is signed and the funding details are clear.
The big question is what the Ksh20 billion covers. It is still unclear whether it includes salary increases, unpaid salaries, allowances, medical benefits, new staff, or payment of lecturers through the National Exchequer. [clarify: missing detail on the exact breakdown of the Ksh20 billion package] The difference matters because a promise to pay is not the same as money already set aside in the government budget.
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For students, the strike has been more than a news story. Some have missed lessons, while others have watched graduation plans change. Moi University, for example, postponed its 49th graduation ceremony because of the strike. A student waiting to graduate may now be asking a simple question: will the deal hold long enough for life on campus to return to normal?
Lecturers also face pressure. Many have gone without pay or worked under uncertain conditions, according to the dispute over university funding. UASU has previously argued that university staff should be paid through the National Exchequer rather than relying on student fees. That points to a deeper problem: public universities need steady government funding, not short-term fixes made only when strikes begin.
The government’s challenge is equally serious. If it agrees to Ksh20 billion but does not budget for it, lecturers could strike again. If it pays without fixing university finances, students may eventually face higher costs. Either way, the agreement will affect more than lecturers’ salaries.
What happens next is clear. Kenyans should watch for the signed agreement, the government’s budget commitment, the first payment to lecturers, and official notices telling students to return to class. Until those steps happen, the Ksh20 billion deal remains a hopeful verbal agreement—not yet a finished solution