University academic staff are set to benefit from phased basic salary increases following a return-to-work agreement signed by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) and the Ministry of Education.
The agreement, signed on October 30, 2026, provides for a 3.5 per cent annual increase in basic salaries across six academic staff grades over the four-year 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), effective July 1, 2025.
The revised salary structure covers Graduate and Research Assistants (Grade 10A), Tutorial Fellows and Assistant Lecturers (Grade 11A), Lecturers (Grade 12A), Senior Lecturers (Grade 13A), Associate Professors (Grade 14A) and Professors (Grade 15A).
Under the revised salary scales, a Graduate or Research Assistant entering Grade 10A at Notch 1 will earn a basic monthly salary of Sh65,875 in the 2025/2026 financial year, up from Sh63,647. The figure will rise to Sh68,181 in 2026/2027, Sh70,568 in 2027/2028 and Sh73,038 in 2028/2029.
An Assistant Lecturer or Tutorial Fellow in Grade 11A, Notch 1, will earn Sh111,648, compared with the previous Sh107,872. The salary will increase to Sh115,556 in 2026/2027, Sh119,601 in 2027/2028 and Sh123,788 in the final year of the agreement.
For Lecturers in Grade 12A, the entry basic salary rises from Sh121,928 to Sh126,196 in 2025/2026, reaching Sh139,917 by 2028/2029. Senior Lecturers in Grade 13A will see their entry basic salary increase from Sh154,739 to Sh160,155, with further adjustments taking it to Sh177,568 by the final year.
At the professorial level, Associate Professors in Grade 14A will earn Sh199,944 at Notch 1, up from Sh193,182, eventually reaching Sh221,684 in 2028/2029. Professors in Grade 15A will receive Sh232,494 at the entry notch, compared with Sh224,631 previously, with their basic monthly salary rising progressively to Sh257,772 by the final year.
The figures represent entry-point basic salaries, meaning actual earnings will depend on an employee’s position within the salary scale. Applicable allowances are paid separately.
The agreement provides for payment of accumulated salary arrears in two phases. Arrears covering July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 will be paid in three equal instalments, while those covering July 1 to December 31, 2026 will be paid together with January 2027 salaries.
The parties have set January 31, 2027 as the deadline for implementation of the agreement. Separately, the deal provides for a five per cent automatic annual salary increment across all grades, in addition to the negotiated 3.5 per cent annual CBA adjustment.
The monthly commuter allowance has been set at Sh18,000 across all academic grades, irrespective of whether an employee owns a car. The agreement also revises annual leave and book and ICT allowances according to staff grades, alongside the introduction of specified professorial allowances.
Professors in Grade 15A will receive an annual leave allowance of Sh21,980 and a book and ICT allowance of Sh18,500. Associate Professors in Grade 14A will receive Sh21,197 and Sh17,500, respectively, while Senior Lecturers will get Sh19,021 and Sh15,000.
For Lecturers in Grade 12A, the respective allowances will be Sh17,570 and Sh14,000. Assistant Lecturers will receive Sh14,087 in annual leave allowance and Sh12,000 for book and ICT, while Graduate and Research Assistants will receive Sh8,754 and Sh10,000, respectively.
The agreement also sets the professorial allowance at Sh7,500 for Grade 15A and Sh6,000 for Grade 14A. These allowances are separate from the revised basic salary scales and commuter allowance.
The government has committed Sh20 billion towards financing the 2025–2029 CBA, with the funding to be released in three tranches. The government will provide Sh6.7 billion in 2026/2027, another Sh6.7 billion in 2027/2028 and the remaining Sh6.6 billion in 2028/2029.
The first tranche will be provided through Supplementary Estimates No. 1 of the 2026/2027 financial year budget. The agreement further provides for the finalisation and publication of the Government Car Loan and Mortgage Scheme rules by December 31, 2026.
Negotiations on outstanding CBA issues are expected to be concluded by February 28, 2027, under the chairmanship of the Labour Commissioner, assisted by the Chief Industrial Relations Officer. The outstanding matters will be addressed separately from the financial provisions already agreed upon.
The agreement followed an industrial action that began on October 2, 2026, after UASU raised concerns over the failure to conclude and implement the 2025–2029 CBA, the government’s failure to commit funding and the non-incorporation of negotiated provisions into public universities’ human resource instruments.
UASU committed to calling off the strike immediately upon signing the return-to-work formula, paving the way for the resumption of normal operations in public universities.
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