University of Nairobi (UoN) students blocked parts of Waiyaki Way on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, demanding an end to the lecturers’ strike and the dismissal of Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba.

The sit-ins affected traffic on the highway as the students urged the government to find a solution to the impasse between the lecturers’ unions and the government and warned of further disruptions to their studies.

The walk-out, which started on October 2, is over the stalled 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the government and university teachers over salaries and allowances. The University of Nairobi Students Association (UNSA) leader Ahmed Rashid accused the ministry of education of failing to end the dispute.

“Our lecturers must be paid. Our Education Minister has failed us. We want to go back to class,” Rashid said.

The demonstrations follow a 72-hour ultimatum by UNSA that warned of mass protests if the government did not declare an end to the 19-day walkout by October 21.

The demonstrators blocked part of Waiyaki Way using stones and burning tires to force motorists to take alternative routes. They urged the government to declare an end to the strike, which they said had disrupted their studies by causing lecture cancellations and creating uncertainty over examinations and graduation dates. The students said matters had gone too far and that they were not prepared to suffer the consequences of the prolonged action.

The mass action comes after university lecturers accused the government of failing to honour its commitment to reach a satisfactory agreement on the 2025-2029 CBA. The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and other professional bodies have demanded that the government honour its obligations to the teaching staff detailing salaries, allowances. Other working conditions.

UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga said attempts to negotiate a settlement had broken down.

“The talks have collapsed. The strike will, therefore, continue,” Wasonga said after meetings with a government inter-ministerial committee on October 12.

The 19-day walk-out has created uncertainty over the resumption of classes in public universities, with students left in limbo over the fate of their studies.

In demanding Ogamba’s resignation, the students have forced the minister to find a swift solution to the crisis. The industrial action has disrupted academic activities at most public institutions, with many students concerned about their pending examinations and graduation.

Despite the students’ threats and demonstrations against the government for causing the impasse, resolution requires a negotiated settlement acceptable to both sides. Negotiating a new agreement on employment matters between the government and university staff associations is necessary and must address the concerns of both parties.

However, until a solution is found, students at public universities remain in limbo as they cannot continue their studies without lecturers in the classrooms.