Kenya's public university lecturers have rejected the government's latest pay offer and vowed to intensify a strike that began on October 2, 2026, after talks on October 26 ended without agreement. The strike involves around 30,000 public university employees represented by three unions: the Universities Academic Staff Union, the Kenya Universities Staff Union and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers.
According to People Daily, the government tabled a verbal counter-offer reported as Sh11 billion, down from Sh12 billion offered on October 12, while Education News put the figure at Sh11,958,504,776, about Sh11.9 billion. The unions say the offer amounts to only about a 3 percent increase in basic salary, far short of the 36 to 68 percent increases by grade that they are seeking, along with higher house and commuter allowances and a commitment that salaries be funded through the National Exchequer.
Universities Academic Staff Union Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga called the offer woefully inadequate, according to People Daily, and said the strike would continue and be intensified. The unions argue that the offer ignores the rising cost of living, citing government data showing petrol prices up 20 percent and diesel up 42 percent since the start of the year.
The talks took place in the Inter-Ministerial Committee, according to Education News, but collapsed when the unions declined to accept the reduced figure. With no agreement reached, teaching and other university services at public institutions remain disrupted.
What happens next depends on whether the government returns with an improved offer. The unions have signalled escalation rather than compromise, raising the prospect of a longer shutdown of public universities unless negotiations produce a deal the unions can take to their members.
Image: Jeff Wilcox, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons