Students in Limbo as Court Blocks University Staff Protest

The long-awaited strike by university staff has been stopped—at least for now.

On Friday, Justice Stephen Radido of the Employment and Labour Relations Court ordered lecturers and other university workers to suspend their protest. Instead, he told them to sit down for talks with the Ministry of Education and all other parties involved.

The strike, which had already disrupted learning for two days, was organized by three major unions:

Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU)

Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU)

Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA).

They had given a seven-day notice, warning that classes in all public universities and colleges would shut down completely if the government did not address their demands.

The unions accused the government of failing to honour several Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs). UASU Secretary General, Constantine Wesonga, said staff were still owed:

Ksh 7.9 billion from the 2017–2021 CBA

Ksh 2.73 billion from the 2021–2025 CBA

And that negotiations for the 2025–2029 CBA had not even been finalised.

Wesonga told reporters that the government had been dragging its feet, despite many meetings and written requests. He accused the Interpublic Universities Council Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) of weakening the agreements that lecturers had worked hard to secure.

Interestingly, just a day before the strike began, the government rushed to release Ksh 2.73 billion tied to the 2021–2025 deal in hopes of calming the storm.

But the court has now ordered all sides back to the negotiation table. The future of the strike—and the fate of thousands of students—remains uncertain.