A supposed internal memo from the University of Nairobi, dated 30 September 2026, has been making rounds on social media, claiming that the institution has been temporarily closed due to a lecturers' strike scheduled for 2 October 2026. The memo, allegedly signed by Academic Registrar Humphrey Webuye, advises students to make arrangements to return home and secure their personal belongings. However, the University of Nairobi has confirmed that the memo is fake.
The lecturers' strike, which began on 2 October 2026, was called by the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) due to the government's failure to implement the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga stated that the strike was also prompted by the failure of university councils, the Ministry of Education, and the National Treasury to honour the Return-to-Work Formula signed on 5 November 2025.
A thorough search on the University of Nairobi's website, Facebook page, and X account found no evidence of the purported internal memo. In contrast, a post on the university's social media pages confirmed that the memo was fake, stating, "Kindly take note that this memo circulating in different platforms is fake!" This was a clear indication that the university had not issued such a memo.
PesaCheck, a fact-checking organisation, analysed the memo and found several discrepancies. A comparison with legitimate internal memos signed by the university's academic registrar revealed differences in the header and sign-off. Authentic memos use the header "UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI, OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY VICE-CHANCELLOR (ACADEMIC AFFAIRS)," whereas the fake memo reads "UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI, OFFICE OF THE ACADEMIC REGISTRAR."
Further investigation by PesaCheck found that authentic memos signed by Webuye use the sign-off "WEBUYE, HOD, ACADEMIC REGISTRAR," with the name underlined. In contrast, the fake memo reads "MR. HUMPREY O.D. WEBUYE, ACADEMIC REGISTRAR," with no underline, and its signature differs from those on authentic memos. These differences confirm that the memo was fabricated.
PesaCheck is part of a series of fact-checking initiatives examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms. By partnering with these platforms, PesaCheck aims to help sort fact from fiction and provide the public with deeper insight and context into posts they see in their social media feeds.
The fact-check was written by PesaCheck fact-checker Naomi Wanjiku and edited by PesaCheck senior copy editor Mary Mutisya. The article was approved for publication by PesaCheck managing editor Doreen Wainainah. PesaCheck is East Africa's first public finance fact-checking initiative, co-founded to provide accurate information to the public.
Key points
- The University of Nairobi has confirmed that a circulating memo claiming a temporary closure due to a lecturers' strike is fake.
- The lecturers' strike was called due to the government's failure to implement the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
- PesaCheck found discrepancies in the fake memo, including a different header and sign-off compared to authentic memos.
