Speaking to reporters on Monday, Ogamba said the government is close to signing a new agreement with the University Academic Staff Union (UASU).
He explained that several meetings had been held to resolve disputes surrounding the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and to lay the foundation for a new 2025–2029 deal.
According to Ogamba, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has already approved a payment of Ksh7.2 billion, just slightly below the lecturers’ initial demand of Ksh7.9 billion.
According to Ogamba, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has already approved a payment of Ksh7.2 billion, just slightly below the lecturers’ initial demand of Ksh7.9 billion.
The ministry hopes this move will convince university staff to return to class as final discussions continue.
“We met with UASU over the weekend to finalize the pending issues on the previous CBA. We expect to get a report today showing how much is still owed, so that we can agree on the way forward,” Ogamba said.
He added that the difference of about Ksh624 million would be discussed to ensure both parties are satisfied.
The strike, which began on September 17, left thousands of students stranded in public universities. Student leaders had recently threatened to join the protests if the government failed to act quickly.
UASU has long accused the government of ignoring key welfare issues affecting university staff. The union wants the state to implement annual salary increases, pay statutory deductions on time, and provide reliable medical and pension schemes.
Last week, UASU Secretary General Constantine Wesonga criticized the SRC for interfering with the bargaining process. He argued that the commission’s proposal to cap salary adjustments at Ksh3 billion over four years was too small to meet the needs of university workers.
“We are supposed to negotiate with our employer directly. SRC should only give advice, not control the talks,” Wesonga said.
If the talks succeed this week, lecturers are expected to resume teaching before the weekend, giving hope to students and parents who have been waiting for normal learning to resume across all public universities.
“We met with UASU over the weekend to finalize the pending issues on the previous CBA. We expect to get a report today showing how much is still owed, so that we can agree on the way forward,” Ogamba said.
He added that the difference of about Ksh624 million would be discussed to ensure both parties are satisfied.
The strike, which began on September 17, left thousands of students stranded in public universities. Student leaders had recently threatened to join the protests if the government failed to act quickly.
UASU has long accused the government of ignoring key welfare issues affecting university staff. The union wants the state to implement annual salary increases, pay statutory deductions on time, and provide reliable medical and pension schemes.
Last week, UASU Secretary General Constantine Wesonga criticized the SRC for interfering with the bargaining process. He argued that the commission’s proposal to cap salary adjustments at Ksh3 billion over four years was too small to meet the needs of university workers.
“We are supposed to negotiate with our employer directly. SRC should only give advice, not control the talks,” Wesonga said.
If the talks succeed this week, lecturers are expected to resume teaching before the weekend, giving hope to students and parents who have been waiting for normal learning to resume across all public universities.
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