Lecturers Strike Deal Overshadowed by Raila Odinga’s Passing.
The long-running lecturers’ strike that crippled learning in Kenya’s public universities for four weeks has reached a tentative resolution, though its announcement was overshadowed by the death and swift send-off of former Prime Minister Raila Amollo Odinga. The agreement, reached late Thursday between the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Ministry of Education, was expected to be made public over the weekend but was postponed as the nation entered mourning.
The strike, which began over the government’s failure to implement the 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), had brought operations in universities to a standstill. Lecturers demanded salary reviews, harmonization of allowances, and improved working conditions. Negotiations had dragged on for weeks before both sides reached a breakthrough, reportedly under the mediation of senior officials from the Public Service Commission and the Treasury.
According to reliable sources within UASU, both parties are yet to come to a bipartisan agreement on implementation plan to address the salary arrears and other benefits owed to lecturers. However, official details remain under wraps as the Education Ministry postponed the signing ceremony in respect of the late Raila Odinga’s state funeral, held in Kasarani Sports Complex, Nairobi.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos and UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga were scheduled to jointly brief the media, but the event was deferred until solid agreement is met with all consideration. “Talks were fruitful, and both sides agreed in principle on key issues. Out of respect for the late Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga, the formal announcement will be made later,” a senior ministry official confirmed.
The strike had disrupted academic programs, forcing several universities to suspend exams and revise their academic calendars. Students and parents alike are now anxiously waiting for an official roadmap to resume learning. University administrations have expressed optimism that lectures could restart early next week once the deal is signed and gazetted.
The timing of the agreement—coinciding with the death of Raila Odinga, a statesman celebrated for his role in fighting for democracy, education reforms, and equity—has added emotional weight to the national moment. Many lecturers and students joined the rest of the country in mourning Odinga, describing him as a “true friend of education and fairness.”
As the nation begins to heal and life gradually returns to normal after Raila’s emotional send-off, the focus is now shifting back to the fate of the lecturers’ deal. The agreement, once unveiled, is expected to end weeks of disruption in higher learning and restore stability to Kenya’s public university system.
