Hopes for the resumption of classes in public universities
have been dashed after lecturers vowed to stay on strike until the end of the
year.
The strike, now entering its seventh week, deepened after
the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) rejected a government proposal to
settle their Sh7.9 billion salary arrears in three instalments.
UASU declared that no classes would resume in all 42 public
universities, insisting that learning will remain paralyzed until the arrears
are paid in full and the 2019–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is
fully implemented.
UASU Secretary General Constantine Wesonga accused the
government of repeatedly failing to honour CBAs, saying that accepting phased
payments would only trigger more strikes in the future.
“The government is proposing to implement the Sh7.9 billion
in three phases — that’s three strikes, and we don’t want to subject our
students to further frustration,” Wesonga said. “They better suffer now up to
December so we clear all these issues.
Come January, it will be a clean slate — they can study up
to 2030, and I’ll call another strike in 2030. Let the country know that
lecturers have blatantly refused to go back to work if the Sh7.9 billion is not
paid.”
The prolonged strike has disrupted academic calendars in
most universities, raising fears that students could miss their graduations,
industrial attachments, or even completion of studies.
This year’s first semester, which began in September, was
expected to end in the second week of December ahead of the Christmas break.
But with six weeks already lost and no progress in talks, students now face the
grim reality of a lost semester — even as universities remain open.
“Most of us have given up,” said Mercy Oira, a postgraduate
student at the University of Nairobi Dental School.
“It’s a total waste of resources, including the school fees
we paid and the time that should have been used to advance our studies. Time
lost is never recovered, but clearly, this semester is over.”
At Moi University, UASU officials warned that many students
risk dropping out due to the prolonged stalemate.
“Students are suffering as a result of this strike, yet the
Ministry of Education appears to be taking the situation lightly,” said Busolo
Wegesa, the Moi University UASU Secretary.
“Students have been
left idle for much of the semester and are now engaging in other activities
outside campus as classes remain suspended. We appeal to the government to
quickly resolve this strike so that we can return to class.”
Talks between the government and university staff unions
collapsed on October 24, 2025, after lecturers rejected a Sh3.5 billion offer,
insisting on full payment of the arrears.
The strike began in mid-September, just as universities
reopened for the new academic year and first-year students were settling in. It
was called jointly by UASU and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU).
