University of Nairobi (UoN) students took to the streets on Wednesday, disrupting traffic on Waiyaki Way in Nairobi as they pressed the government to resolve the ongoing lecturers' strike.
The demonstrators barricaded sections of the highway with stones and burning tyres, bringing traffic to a standstill and forcing motorists to use alternative routes. Some carried placards, twigs and whistles and chanted slogans demanding an immediate resolution to the dispute between university lecturers and the government.
The students said the prolonged strike had disrupted learning and threatened to delay their academic programmes, with concerns over missed lectures and examinations.
The protest followed a 72-hour ultimatum from the University of Nairobi Students Association (UNSA). In a statement on Friday, October 16, UNSA president Ahmed Rashid said students would take to the streets if the strike was not resolved after the deadline. Student leaders have criticised the handling of the dispute, arguing that learners should not suffer academic setbacks because of disagreements between lecturers and the government.
The strike, which began on October 2, involves university staff unions, including the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), which is pushing for progress on the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The unions want the government to negotiate, sign and fully implement the agreement, which covers salaries, allowances and other terms of employment for university staff.
UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga has maintained that the agreement must be backed by a clear financial commitment from the government, particularly the National Treasury.
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