NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 5 – The seven-week strike by university lecturers has ended after the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Inter-Public Universities Councils’ Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) signed a Return-to-Work Formula (RTWF) on Wednesday, restoring normal operations across all public universities and constituent colleges.
The agreement, signed in Nairobi and witnessed by top university leaders, followed days of negotiations at the Ministry of Education under Higher Education Principal Secretary Dr. Beatrice Muganda Inyangala.
It guarantees reinstatement of all staff, protection from victimization, and full payment of withheld salaries and benefits.
Under the deal, UASU agreed to immediately call off the industrial action once the document was executed, while the IPUCCF undertook to withdraw all disciplinary actions initiated during the strike.
“Any disciplinary or intended disciplinary actions, including but not limited to show cause letters, warning letters, interdictions, suspensions or dismissals, are hereby withdrawn unconditionally and revoked with immediate effect,” the formula states.
The document further affirms that no staff will lose jobs, benefits, or salary entitlements for participating in the strike.
Withheld pay released
All withheld pay and benefits for September and October 2025 are to be released by Monday, November 10, and “the salaries and accrued benefits for the first five days of November 2025 shall not be lost.”
The parties also agreed that universities will work with UASU to recover lost teaching time and safeguard academic quality, factoring in the full seven weeks of industrial action.
On financial settlements, the agreement confirms that the Sh2.73 billion in Phase Two arrears under the 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) has been “marked as settled,” pending verification by Joint Local Implementation Committees.
Tax computations on the arrears will follow Kenya Revenue Authority guidelines issued in 2020.
The deal also commits the employer and unions to fast-track negotiations for the 2025–2029 CBA within 30 days, involving UASU, the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU), and KUDHEIHA workers.
“This Agreement shall be binding on all Public Universities and the Constituent University Colleges under IPUCCF, as well as on UASU and its Chapters, and shall take effect immediately upon signing,” the document read.
Signatories included Prof. Bosire Monari Mwebi, Prof. Daniel Mugendi, and Prof. Fred Simiyu Barasa for the IPUCCF, with witnesses including Prof. Romanus Odhiambo, Prof. Kamau Ngamau, and Prof. Mary Ndung’u.
The agreement is to be filed in the Employment and Labour Relations Court as part of a consent settlement in Cause No. ELRC CBA E214 of 2025.
