NAIROBI, Kenya – Tension is rising in public universities as students threatened to take to the streets within 24 hours if the government fails to resolve the ongoing lecturers’ strike, which has paralysed learning nationwide.
The students say the industrial action has left them idle in hostels and libraries, with lessons suspended for weeks. They warn that without urgent intervention, thousands risk losing an entire semester.
“It’s one month to our exams and we have not seen our lecturers in class. We are not going to retreat. If the government does not act within 24 hours, we will be on the roads,” said Valentine Nyanchama, a student at Kenyatta University.
The dons are demanding payment of Sh7.9 billion in arrears from the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), alongside fresh negotiations for the 2025–2029 CBA. Their strike has mirrored last year’s standoff, which saw semesters spill over into the following academic year.
Frustrated students say they will not sit back as their futures are derailed.
“Any delayed academic calendar must be compensated. We will not allow our dreams to be put on hold,” declared Desmond Mbare, another Kenyatta University student.
Victor Omondi, also a student leader, urged the state to provide a recovery plan. “We demand a concrete, public plan for recovering lost time, including a revised calendar to prevent this from becoming a lost semester or delaying our graduation,” he said.
The Ministry of Education and the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum are yet to reach a deal with the University Academic Staff Union (UASU), leaving the impasse unresolved. For students staring at wasted months, patience is wearing thin, and their vow to join the strike has escalated pressure on the government to act quickly.
