Police fired teargas on Tuesday to break up University of Nairobi (UoN) students who blocked part of Waiyaki Way with burning tyres and stones. The students were protesting against a lecturers' strike that has kept public universities shut for almost four weeks.

The students marched from the Museum Hill area towards Parklands and then barricaded the highway, The Star reported. Traffic stopped and motorists were forced to turn back or find other routes. The students scattered when officers fired teargas, and police later cleared the barricades so traffic could move again.

It was the second such protest on the busy road in a week. Students also lit bonfires on Waiyaki Way on October 21.

Students say their studies are on hold

Students told Citizen Digital the Education Ministry had gone quiet while their courses stalled. One student, Tony Ochieng, said the government had shown no commitment to ending the stalemate. Another said the strike could stretch a seven-year course to more than nine years.

Students say lectures, exams and planned graduations have all been disrupted, and they have vowed to keep protesting until the government and the unions reach a deal.

Talks collapsed again on Monday

The strike by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) began on October 2 after negotiations on the 2025-2029 collective bargaining agreement broke down.

Talks to end the strike collapsed again on Monday, October 26, over a government counter-offer of about Sh11.9 billion for the four-year deal, which the unions rejected as inadequate.

UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga said any deal must come with clear funding commitments, especially from the National Treasury. He has warned that the strike could drag on if the government does not change its position.

The unions also object to pay and terms of service being set by government circulars rather than through bargaining, and they have raised concerns about staff shortages and heavy workloads.

What comes next

  • Negotiations are expected to resume later this week, although no date has been made public.
  • Students have threatened daily demonstrations until classes resume.
  • Public universities remain largely shut, and thousands of first-years and continuing students are waiting for the semester to start properly.

No injuries or arrests from Tuesday's confrontation had been reported by Wednesday morning.

Photos: The Star; University of Nairobi building by Bahnfrend via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.