Kenya's public universities are racing against time to avert a total shutdown from midnight Friday, October 2, 2026, after lecturers issued a 7-day strike notice.

The Universities' Academic Staff Union (UASU) on September 24 announced that all public universities shall be closed if the government fails to honour the return-to-work formula signed on November 5, 2025. 

Speaking at the union's offices in Nairobi, UASU Secretary-General Dr. Constantine Wasonga said the decision follows the persistent failure by university councils, the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury to honour the agreement. 

"Universities are technically insolvent because the government has not been remitting money due to them. You are going to see the mother of all strikes this season because universities are understaffed, we are overworked and we don't have pension schemes; and you want us to take it lying down? We won't! Therefore, on October 2nd, all universities shall be closed," Wasonga said. 

At the centre of the dispute is the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). UASU wants the agreement negotiated, signed, registered and implemented, but negotiations have stalled. The union says the Ministry of Education and National Treasury have not provided a written commitment that funding will come through the National Exchequer, which has prevented the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) from issuing financial advice needed to move negotiations forward.

UASU is also demanding:

- Immediate full payment of pending 2017-2021 and 2021-2025 CBA arrears, rejecting staggered payment

- Clear and binding funding commitments from the Ministry and Treasury

- Protection against unilateral changes to salaries through government HR instruments, stalled promotions and delayed gratuity payments 

The union said the dispute has dragged on while other public sector employees had already completed negotiations for their 2025-2029 CBAs. 

Meanwhile, the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) has also issued a strike notice over the stalled CBA, indicating the dispute extends beyond academic staff. Some universities like University of Nairobi have intensified consultations with staff unions and SRC to avert the strike. 

The SRC has raised concerns about several provisions in earlier agreements including house-to-office allowance, leave allowance, book allowance and professorial allowance, asking universities to revise them or prove affordability. 

Learning is expected to be disrupted as first-year students settle into their first semester of the 2026 academic calendar. On social media this morning, students are also linking the shutdown fears to HELB delays, with many asking when upkeep money will be released.