Teaching and other services in public universities are expected to be disrupted after lecturers and other workers rejected the latest pay proposal and proceeded with a nationwide strike.
The decision by the three unions representing university workers followed a failed meeting with the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) at Machakos University, where the sides were unable to agree on the terms of the 2025-2029 collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU) and Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA) said the latest counter-offer did not resolve issues they had raised during earlier negotiations.
The unions said the proposal also went against provisions of the registered 2021-2025 CBA, especially those dealing with the harmonisation of allowances in the new agreement.
They further rejected the medical benefits proposed for university employees, arguing that the package was below what civil servants receive.
Another major point of disagreement is the proposed four per cent annual salary increment. The unions said the increase was too low compared with inflation, which they said is above six per cent, and would therefore leave workers struggling with the rising cost of living.
UASU national organising secretary Jacob Musembi said the unions had reached a point where they could no longer accept what they described as an inadequate employer proposal.
"IPUCCF tabled a counteroffer that the unions consider very inferior. And therefore the three unions wish to state as follows: That UASU, KUSU and KUDHEIHA reject in total the counter-offer from IPUCCF."
"The proposed automatic annual increment of a mere four per cent is far below the prevailing inflation rates, which are more than six per cent. And this cannot cushion our members against the high cost of living," said UASU national organising secretary Jacob Musembi.
The unions also raised concern over staffing levels in public universities, saying employers had not recruited enough academic staff despite the continued high enrolment of students.
"The counter-offer does not address one of the critical issues, that is the recruitment of specifically the academic members of staff to match what is well known to us, the very high enrolment of students in public universities" the unions said.
The workers' organisations said their concerns had remained unresolved despite several rounds of discussions with the government and university employers.
They said the latest proposal did not adequately respond to demands they had presented after an earlier counter-offer, including improvements in basic pay, allowances, medical cover and the number of academic staff.
The unions had issued a seven-day strike notice last week, setting the stage for the industrial action after negotiations failed to produce an agreement.
They said the two sides had earlier committed themselves to opening negotiations within 30 days after signing a return-to-work formula on November 5, 2025.
According to the unions, that commitment was not honoured by the employers, adding to frustrations over the delayed CBA negotiations.
"We have been on the table with these employers for all this while, and we feel that we are being taken round and round and round in cycles,, said Mr Musembi.
The three unions subsequently called on their members to withdraw their labour from public universities beginning at midnight.
"The three unions call upon our members to withdraw their labour effective midnight today, Thursday 1st October 2026, until our demands are met in total. Tomorrow, we all come out in our large numbers, launch this strike, keep the strike on," they said.
The employers' proposal is contained in recommendations by IPUCCF to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), following consideration of the demands submitted by the three unions for the 2025-2029 CBA.
IPUCCF proposed an 8.25 per cent cumulative increase in basic salary over the four-year agreement, with the adjustment implemented at two per cent each year.
Before settling on the proposal, IPUCCF considered three salary review options.
One option was a two per cent increase across all grades. Another proposed two per cent for grades 11-15 and three per cent for grades 1-10.
The third option involved a three per cent increase across all grades, which would have produced a cumulative salary increase of 12.56 per cent.
IPUCCF eventually settled on the first option, recommending an 8.25 per cent cumulative increase spread through two per cent annual increments during the CBA period.
The proposal falls far below the increases sought by the unions.
UASU had demanded basic salary increases of between 36 and 68 per cent, while KUSU sought increases ranging from 36 to 113 per cent.
KUDHEIHA's demands were higher, with the union seeking increases of between 75 and 193 per cent.
IPUCCF also proposed a three per cent increase in house allowance across all grades.
The forum said the allowance had not been revised since the 2010-2013 CBA, despite changes in inflation and higher rental costs in urban areas.
With the three unions now proceeding with the strike, teaching, academic work and other university services are set to face disruption as workers press for a new CBA that they say should better address their pay, allowances, medical cover and staffing concerns.