NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyatta University (KU) and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) have directed students to resume classes on Monday, November 10, following the end of a seven-week lecturers’ strike that had paralyzed academic operations across public universities.
At Kenyatta University, Academic Registrar Bernard Kivunge announced that all first-semester activities for the 2025/26 academic year will resume immediately, urging students to report on time to avoid missing classes.
“Following the calling off of the industrial action by members of staff in the University on 6th November 2025, all activities for the First Semester are expected to resume immediately,” he stated in a circular issued on Thursday.
Similarly, JKUAT Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Prof. Robert Kinyua, issued a notice instructing students to report back to campus on Friday, November 7, ahead of the full resumption of classes on Monday.
“Following the calling off of the industrial action by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU), all students are hereby requested to report back to the University on Friday, 7th November 2025. Classes will resume on Monday, 10th November 2025,” the notice read.
The directives follow the signing of a Return-to-Work Formula (RTWF) between the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Inter-Public Universities Councils’ Consultative Forum (IPUCCF), marking an official end to the industrial action.
On Wednesday, UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga announced the suspension of the strike after the government agreed to settle salary arrears and benefits owed under the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
“It is upon the government that you honour what we have signed here today. If you honour what we have signed here today, I want to commit that there shall be no strike called by UASU up to 2030,” Wasonga said.
Under the agreement, lecturers were assured of full reinstatement, payment of withheld salaries and benefits, and protection from disciplinary action. “All disciplinary or intended disciplinary actions, including show cause letters, suspensions, or dismissals, are hereby withdrawn and revoked with immediate effect,” the RTWF stated.
The resolution brings relief to thousands of university students whose academic calendars had been disrupted since late September when lecturers downed tools over the delayed implementation of the CBA.
The strike had forced several universities to suspend examinations and postpone reporting dates, sparking concern among parents and education stakeholders about prolonged academic disruptions.
Education analysts note that the deal could mark a turning point in industrial relations within the higher education sector, provided the government honours its financial commitments under the new framework.
