Chaos erupted along State House Road and University Way on Tuesday as University of Nairobi (UoN) students took to the streets, demanding the immediate resumption of classes amid the ongoing lecturers’ strike.
The students, drawn from various campuses, lit bonfires and blocked major roads as they chanted slogans, blew vuvuzelas, and waved banners under the rallying cry “Education Under Siege.”
The protest, organised by the University of Nairobi Students Association (UNSA), began at the students’ hostels before spilling onto State House Road, where demonstrators set fire to debris and temporarily paralyzed traffic.
Witnesses said security officers from the State House quickly responded, arriving in a white vehicle to disperse the students and clear the road.
Unfazed, the protesters regrouped and marched toward University Way, where they blocked the busy highway and continued chanting, bringing traffic to a standstill.
Speaking during the demonstration, UNSA Secretary General Wasike Elisha called for the government’s swift intervention to resolve the stalemate between the lecturers and university management.
“Our education is being held hostage. We are tired of sitting idle while our future is in limbo,” Elisha said.
Another student, Hillary Okoth, voiced the frustration many learners are facing after nearly a month of academic paralysis.
“Our comrades have exhausted their upkeep and HELB funds, yet studies remain halted. As the saying goes, when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers,” Okoth said.
The students demanded that the government release Sh7.9 billion owed to lecturers under the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), as cited by the University Academic Staff Union (UASU).
Police have been deployed around the Main Campus and Uhuru Highway to monitor the situation, with motorists urged to avoid the affected routes.
The lecturers’ strike, which has stretched into its fourth week, has disrupted learning across all public universities, leaving thousands of students stranded with no clear timeline for resumption.
A bonfire along State House road lit by UoN students during a protest on October 14, 2025/JANET ONYANGO
A bonfire along State House road lit by UoN students during a protest on October 14, 2025/JANET ONYANGO
UoN students block a street during protests on October 14, 2025/JANET ONYANGO
UoN students block a street in the presence of police during protests on October 14, 2025/JANET ONYANGO
UoN students block a street in the presence of police during protests on October 14, 2025/JANET ONYANGO
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