By David Ochieng
President William Ruto on Sunday visited Alupe University in Busia County, where he commissioned new infrastructure projects and pledged increased funding to improve campus facilities.
However, the visit was briefly overshadowed by student protests calling on the Head of State to intervene in the ongoing lecturers’ strike, which has now entered its seventh week.
The strike, led by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU), has paralyzed learning in several public universities nationwide as dons demand KSh 7.9 billion in unpaid salary arrears under the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
During his speech at Alupe, President Ruto focused mainly on development pledges, announcing government support for new hostels, internal roads, and laboratories. Although he did not directly address the lecturers’ industrial action, students used the opportunity to voice their frustration over the prolonged stalemate.
Videos circulating online show students chanting and carrying placards urging the government to end the strike and reopen universities. Some shouted “Tunataka masomo!” (We want studies), reflecting the growing impatience among learners affected by the academic disruptions.
A student at Alupe University College in Busia County has been summoned to face disciplinary action after staging a protest during Ruto’s visit to the institution.
University authorities confirmed that the student will appear before the disciplinary committee over what they termed as “breach of protocol” during the presidential function. The incident, however, remained peaceful and drew widespread online attention.
Education insiders, meanwhile, reveal that the Ministry of Education has left it to individual university councils to decide whether to continue teaching, partially operate, or close entirely, depending on local circumstances.
Already, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) has announced an indefinite closure, citing the inability to continue operations amid the strike.
Out of 42 chartered universities and constituent colleges, 16 have resumed full teaching, 14 are partially open, and 12 remain completely shut down.
Despite mounting pressure, there has been no new presidential directive or policy statement on resolving the lecturers’ strike as of Sunday evening.
> “The President’s silence on the lecturers’ strike disappointed many who hoped for a clear way forward,” said a student leader from Alupe University. “We respect the development pledges, but academics must also resume.”
Unions have vowed to continue their industrial action until the government pays the full KSh 7.9 billion arrears in one installment, rejecting the Treasury’s proposal for phased payments extending to the 2026/2027 budget cycle.
As the standoff deepens, thousands of students face uncertainty over exams, graduations, and disrupted academic calendars — making this one of the most prolonged university strikes in Kenya’s history.
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