CS Ogamba urges lecturers to end strike after Ksh2.73B release
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has called on lecturers to end their strike, saying the government has already released Sh2.73 billion and is committed to continuing negotiations.
Ogamba said the release of the funds addressed the main sticking point that had prompted industrial action.
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“The main issue was the Ksh2.73 billion, which we released. It was something we negotiated for the return-to-work formula last year. It was supposed to be released in July, but there was a delay; we have released it. So, based on that good faith and based on the fact that we have shown the capacity to negotiate, it is good for them to go back to work as we continue negotiating. So I urge them to call off the strike,” he stated.
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The lecturers’ strike has now entered its second week, with thousands of students facing prolonged disruption in their academic calendar. Lecturers across public universities have stayed away from classrooms, demanding that the government honour previous agreements on salaries and allowances.
Union leaders’ response
However, union leaders quickly dismissed Ogamba’s remarks.
Speaking on TV on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, Maloba Wekesa of the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) University of Nairobi Chapter, together with Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) Secretary General Charles Mukhwaya, said the CS’s directive was both disrespectful and uninformed.
Watch: UASU tells CS Ogamba to stop lecturing lecturers
Wekesa argued that the government has consistently failed to implement agreed terms despite repeated commitments, making it difficult to trust assurances without concrete action.
“It is unreasonable to expect lecturers to call off the strike on the CS’s word when the government has a history of not honouring long-standing agreements,” he said.
“We are law-abiding citizens, but you need to know that we are also very aware of our rights when the government wants to game us. The very act that Ogamba is running around, imagining that we can be ordered around, cannot work,” he added.
The deadlock now places immense pressure on the Ministry of Education and university administrations to find a workable solution.
With learning at a standstill and growing frustration among students and parents, attention will remain fixed on whether the government and unions can break the impasse in the coming days.
