Moi University in Kenya is experiencing another disruption in its academic calendar due to a nationwide lecturers' strike that began on October 2, 2026. The strike, caused by the collapse of talks between unions and the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum over the implementation of the 2025–2029 collective bargaining agreement (CBA), has left students uncertain about their graduation dates. This is not the first time students at Moi University have faced such disruptions, with many courses being extended by several years due to repeated strikes.
For students like Peter Mark, a first-year student, the strike means struggling to make ends meet. With the university stopped teaching, Mark is selling SIM cards to pay his rent and buy food. The campus is unusually quiet, with lecture theatres dark and untidy. The Margaret Thatcher Library, once a hub of activity, now has loose posters flapping on noticeboards and chairs stacked in corners. The situation is a familiar cycle of disrupted studies, uncertain graduation dates, and mounting personal costs for students.
Kelvin Sapai, a final-year student of Linguistics, Media and Communication, is no stranger to the disruptions caused by strikes. "I have lost count of how many times I have packed my bags and gone home, not knowing when I would be back," he says. The repeated disruptions have made it harder for students to plan their finances, careers, and lives beyond university. Friends who began university with Sapai have deferred their studies, dropped out, or moved to colleges with more predictable academic calendars.
Emmanuel Gabare, a student at the School of Health Sciences, is in his ninth year at the institution, despite his course being designed to take six years. The repeated strikes have left him facing yet another uncertain graduation. "My course should only run for six years. But due to recurrent strikes in this institution, this is my ninth year here. I am supposed to be running a family, not running across lecture halls," he says. The uncertainty has taken a personal toll on Gabare, with interrupted sleep, shorter calls home, and younger relatives questioning whether he is still in school.
The frustration caused by the disruptions has found its way into public statements by student leaders. Moi University Students' Organisation Secretary-General Enock Kwena has urged the government to resolve the national lecturers' strike, warning that continued disruption could influence students' choices in the 2027 General Election. Kwena criticised the government for prioritising political slogans over investment in education, arguing that paying lecturers should be a priority.
University lecturers and the government have agreed on a Sh20 billion package for salaries and allowances under the 2025–2029 CBA, raising hopes of an end to the nationwide strike. The agreement, announced on Wednesday, was expected to be formally documented on Thursday, ahead of a planned call-off of the strike on Friday, October 30. However, at Moi University, the national agreement may not guarantee an immediate return to class due to unresolved internal grievances over salary arrears, unremitted pension contributions, and other staff issues.
The Moi University chapter of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has warned that the internal grievances could trigger another strike even after the national boycott ends. The union has cited issues such as unpaid salary arrears and unremitted pension contributions as some of the concerns that need to be addressed. As the situation stands, students at Moi University face an uncertain future, with their academic journey being disrupted by repeated strikes and internal disputes.
Key points
- Repeated disruptions make it harder for students to plan their finances, careers, and lives beyond university.
- The strike has disrupted studies, stretching semesters, shifting examinations, and pushing graduation dates further away.
- Unresolved internal grievances over salary arrears, unremitted pension contributions, and other staff issues could trigger another strike at Moi University.
