Protests erupted in the University of Nairobi (UoN) on Tuesday, October 14, as students poured into the streets demanding the immediate resumption of classes amid a month-long lecturers’ strike that has paralyzed learning across public universities.
The demonstrations came just hours after the University’s Academic Staff Union (UASU) accused the Ministry of Education of blocking the release of a crucial audit report detailing billions owed to lecturers in unpaid arrears.
The students temporarily blocked traffic along Uhuru Highway after lighting bonfires in the middle of the road, causing a disruption to motorists heading into and out of the Nairobi central business district.
The protesters also barricaded a section of University Way, further escalating traffic gridlock in the city.
Police officers have since been deployed to both scenes to clear the roads and prevent further unrest as authorities work to contain the situation.
“They are taking away the rights of students; they cannot do that,” one student shouted during the protest, condemning the administration’s handling of the ongoing lecturers’ dispute.
The students expressed frustration over the paralysis in learning caused by the stalemate between university staff and the government.
“We want lecturers to be paid. We came here to study, not to relax in the hostel,” Another student added, echoing the growing anger among learners demanding resolution to the lecturers’ grievances so that classes can resume.
The union alleged that the ministry was concealing the outcome of a joint audit that revealed Ksh7.9 billion in unpaid dues from the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
UASU on Audit
UASU officials said the delay was part of a wider government effort to evade accountability and frustrate lecturers who have gone without their full pay for years.
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UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga said the audit, conducted jointly by government officials, university vice chancellors, and the unions, was meant to settle once and for all the question of what universities owe.
“Last night they met, they are instructing finance officers to send them what they paid to universities, so they don’t know what they paid,” Wasonga said.
“You are now confirming you gave the public inaccurate data, let them ran around but they will come to Ksh7.9 billion”
Ministry on Lecturer’s Pay Audit
Higher Education Principal Secretary Dr. Beatrice Inyangala denied the allegations, saying the ministry had not withheld any report and that part of the arrears had already been paid.
Speaking during the launch of an online donation portal to support needy students, Dr. Inyangala said the figures remain contested, with the alleged amount fluctuating from Ksh 7.9 billion to Ksh 7.7 billion.
“There’s a dispute. The standing advisory from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission is Ksh624 million. We are currently collecting verified data from universities, many of which confirm that some of this money has already been paid,” she said, adding that the ministry would present the final report in court for determination.
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The dispute has left students frustrated and angry, as institutions remain closed with no clear timeline for reopening.
UASU Lists Three Demands
UASU outlined three key grievances that remain unresolved, despite a court directive stating that the SRC should collaborate with the IPUCCF Implementation Committee, the Ministry of Education, and the Treasury to provide the additional budgetary allocation necessary for implementing the CBAs.
- Failure to implement the 2021-2025 Phase Two CBA arrears amounting to Ksh2.73 billion for the 2025/2026 financial year.
- Failure to negotiate, conclude, register, and implement the 2025-2029 National CBA in line with the Recognition Agreement signed on October 28, 2019, between UASU and the Inter-Public Universities’ Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF).
- Failure to implement the 2017-2021 CBA, despite rulings by the Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELRC CBA Nos. 1, 2, and 3 of 2020), which directed the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to work with IPUCCF, the Ministry of Education, and the Treasury to provide the necessary budgetary allocation.
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September 18, 2024, PHOTO/ NMG
