By Robert Mutasi 
The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection has called public university staff unions and university councils to a meeting on Monday, October 26, in a fresh attempt to resolve the nationwide strike that has disrupted learning across Kenya’s public universities.
The meeting is scheduled for 11am at the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Building in Nairobi, according to a notice signed by Labour Principal Secretary Shadrack Mwadime.
The ministry has invited representatives of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU), the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA), and the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF).
Those expected to attend include UASU Secretary-General Dr Constantine Wasonga Opiyo, KUSU Secretary-General Dr Charles Mukhwaya, KUDHEIHA representative Thomas Mboya and IPUCCF chairman Prof Daniel Njiru Mugendi.
The negotiations will focus on unresolved financial and non-financial issues under the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), which have remained at the centre of the dispute between university employees and their employers.
The ministry hopes the conciliation process will help the parties narrow their differences, reach an agreement and pave the way for the resumption of normal academic activities.
The strike, which began on October 2, has interrupted lectures and other academic activities in public universities, leaving thousands of students uncertain about the academic calendar.
University unions have opposed the government’s initial financial proposal of approximately Sh9.76 billion for the four-year CBA, arguing that the amount does not adequately address their demands.
The unions have called for improved remuneration, allowances and other employment benefits, alongside firm commitments on the implementation of the agreement.
They have also raised concerns about the funding arrangements, insisting that the government must provide a credible financial commitment to meet the obligations under the proposed CBA.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba said on Saturday, October 24, that the government was working on an improved financial offer after the unions rejected the initial proposal.
Ogamba said the government was consulting relevant agencies, including the National Treasury and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, to develop a revised offer that could be presented to the unions.
He maintained that the government was willing to continue negotiations but said a settlement would depend on whether the parties could agree on the proposed terms.
The prolonged industrial action has raised concerns over delayed lectures, examinations and possible adjustments to university academic calendars.
Students and parents are waiting for a resolution that would allow learning to resume without further disruption.
The latest invitation by the Labour Ministry provides another opportunity for the government, university employers and staff representatives to address the outstanding issues through dialogue.
However, the planned meeting does not automatically mean that the strike will end on Monday. Any return to normal academic activities will depend on the progress made during negotiations and the unions’ position on a possible settlement.
Attention will now turn to the outcome of the talks, with the parties under pressure to find a workable agreement that addresses staff grievances while ensuring public universities can meet their financial obligations.
For students whose studies have been interrupted, a breakthrough would provide much-needed clarity on when normal teaching and other academic programmes can resume.
Eldoret Leo