UASU members, led by their Secretary General, Dr. Constantine Wasonga, in solidarity during a presser at Machakos University on October 24, 2025.
citing a newly adopted report that confirms the figure as legitimate arrears
from the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Following the Inter-Public Universities Councils
Consultative Forum (IPUCCF), UASU Secretary General Dr. Constantine Wasonga
said the union’s long-standing position had finally been validated.
“The report signed by chairperson Vice Chancellors
Committee Professor Daniel Mugendi, Vice Chairperson IPUCCF Joint Negotiation Committee
Professor Fred Barasa, Finance officers from the Ministry of Education and the
Salaries and Remuneration Commission confirms that IPUCCF technical team has fully agreed with the unions’ position that the outstanding balance owed to staff of public
universities is Sh7.9 billion,” Wasonga said.
The dons addressed the press at Machakos University on
Friday.
UASU maintained that its members wouldn’t agree to any
return-to-work formula unless the full amount is paid.
Wasonga said the union had noted that the report concurs
with the union’s position that the outstanding balance owed to university staff
is Sh7.95 billion.
“…affirms the Employment and Labor Relations court judgment
on January 15, 2021, which established the total financial obligation under the
2017 – 2021 CBA as 16.57 billion, inclusive of pension, basic salary areas and
pension liabilities. Aligned with the Court of Appeal decision of March 2025,
agrees with the opinion of Attorney General issued on April 10, 202,5, affirming
the enforceability of the CBAs,” he added.
The report, now in the hands of the technical committee
tasked with implementing the CBA, was signed by top officials from both the
university sector and government.
Dr. Wasonga emphasized that the findings had resolved the
prolonged dispute over the actual amount owed, which had strained relations
between academic staff and the government.
He faulted the Salaries and Remuneration
Commission (SRC) for providing inaccurate figures that misled key government
departments.
Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) Secretary General
Charles Mukwaya echoed the call, blaming government agencies for the ongoing
strike. He said their decision to challenge the agreed figures in court had
undermined trust and disrupted operations.
The report, endorsed by Vice-Chancellors Committee Chair
Prof. Daniel Mugendi and IPUCCF JNC Co-Chair Fred Barasa, reaffirmed a January
2021 ruling by the Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELRC), which pegged
the total financial obligation under the CBAs at Sh16.57 billion—including
salary arrears and pension liabilities.
The Court of Appeal upheld the ruling
in March 2025.
UASU said the report not only supports its position but
also exposes SRC’s earlier figures as misleading and harmful to the sector.