NAIROBI, Kenya — Lecturers and other staff at Kenya’s public universities began a nationwide strike on Friday, 2 October 2026, after negotiations over the 2025–2029 collective bargaining agreement collapsed. The University of Nairobi separately warned students that an online notice claiming the institution had closed was fake.
The two developments mean students should distinguish between disrupted teaching and an official campus closure. A strike can stop lectures or other services without automatically closing residences, libraries, examinations or an entire university.
Are Kenya’s public universities closed because of the strike? No blanket closure has been officially announced. Three staff unions have begun industrial action, and disruption has been reported at several campuses. The University of Nairobi has told students to disregard a circulating closure memo and to rely on official institutional communication.
Three unions launch industrial action
The Universities Academic Staff Union, Kenya Universities Staff Union and Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers instructed members to withdraw their labour from midnight on Thursday.
The Daily Nation reported that the three unions rejected the latest counter-offer from the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum after talks at Machakos University failed to produce an agreement.
UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga formally launched the strike on Friday. According to Kenyans.co.ke, early action was reported at Kenyatta, Laikipia, Bomet, Chuka and Egerton universities. At Kenyatta University, chapter officials instructed lecturers not to teach and called members to assemble for further directions.
The reports establish that the industrial action has begun, but they do not prove that every class, examination or administrative service at every public university has stopped. Students should check notices from their own institution and faculty.
Why the pay talks collapsed
The dispute concerns negotiations for the 2025–2029 CBA. The unions say university employers and government institutions failed to honour a November 2025 return-to-work agreement that was supposed to restart negotiations promptly.
EDUCATION
Kenya University Strike Begins; UoN Rejects Fake Closure Notice
Oct 2, 2026
Oct 2, 2026
5 min read
Published
Updated:
NAIROBI, Kenya — Lecturers and other staff at Kenya’s public universities began a nationwide strike on Friday, 2 October 2026, after negotiations over the 2025–2029 collective bargaining agreement collapsed. The University of Nairobi separately warned students that an online notice claiming the institution had closed was fake.
The two developments mean students should distinguish between disrupted teaching and an official campus closure. A strike can stop lectures or other services without automatically closing residences, libraries, examinations or an entire university.
Are Kenya’s public universities closed because of the strike? No blanket closure has been officially announced. Three staff unions have begun industrial action, and disruption has been reported at several campuses. The University of Nairobi has told students to disregard a circulating closure memo and to rely on official institutional communication.
Three unions launch industrial action
The Universities Academic Staff Union, Kenya Universities Staff Union and Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers instructed members to withdraw their labour from midnight on Thursday.
The Daily Nation reported that the three unions rejected the latest counter-offer from the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum after talks at Machakos University failed to produce an agreement.
UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga formally launched the strike on Friday. According to Kenyans.co.ke, early action was reported at Kenyatta, Laikipia, Bomet, Chuka and Egerton universities. At Kenyatta University, chapter officials instructed lecturers not to teach and called members to assemble for further directions.
ADVERTISEMENT
The reports establish that the industrial action has begun, but they do not prove that every class, examination or administrative service at every public university has stopped. Students should check notices from their own institution and faculty.
Why the pay talks collapsed
The dispute concerns negotiations for the 2025–2029 CBA. The unions say university employers and government institutions failed to honour a November 2025 return-to-work agreement that was supposed to restart negotiations promptly.
The latest talks broke down after the unions rejected proposals covering salaries, allowances, medical benefits and staffing. The Kenya Times reported that union representatives objected to a proposed annual salary increment and argued that the offer would not protect members against the cost of living.
They also opposed a proposed KSh9.76 billion allocation for the four-year agreement. Wasonga argued that the sum was inadequate when compared with the amount used for the shorter 2021–2025 CBA.
The unions have also raised concerns about harmonising allowances, medical cover and staffing levels as enrolment increases. The Star’s account of the negotiations said UASU believed it had exhausted the available engagement channels before issuing the strike notice.
ADVERTISEMENT
University of Nairobi says closure memo is fake
The University of Nairobi clarification addresses a separate question: whether the campus itself has closed. The institution said a memo circulating on social platforms and claiming that it would temporarily shut from 2 October was not authentic.
That warning is important because a strike notice issued by staff unions is not the same as a university management decision to close a campus. Students should not leave residences, miss examinations or change travel arrangements solely because of an unverified screenshot.
The problem is not limited to one institution. Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology had already rejected another purported shutdown memo before the strike began. Students should use official university websites, verified social accounts, faculty channels and direct notices when confirming academic arrangements.
XTRAfrica’s earlier coverage of Kenya’s excess-textbook inquiry and the East African master’s scholarship programme reflects the wider pressure on students to navigate funding, administration and institutional communication. The current labour dispute adds immediate uncertainty over teaching and campus services.
TRENDING NOW
POPULAR TODAY
ADVERTISEMENT
What students and parents should do
Students should first confirm whether scheduled lectures, laboratory sessions, examinations and project supervision are proceeding. Different services may be affected differently because the three unions represent academic and non-academic employees.
They should also preserve official notices and avoid forwarding closure claims that do not appear on their institution’s recognised channels. A fake memo can cause unnecessary travel, missed assessments and confusion about accommodation.
Parents should contact the university directly before arranging transport home. Students in residences should follow directions from the dean of students, registrar or campus security rather than relying on viral posts.
The strike has no announced end date. The next decisive development will be a new offer, a return to negotiations, a court intervention or formal campus-by-campus instructions. Until then, the verified position is that the unions have begun industrial action, while the operational impact must be confirmed separately at each university.
ADVERTISEMENT
RELATED ARTICLE
