UoN Students Protest, Block Road
On Tuesday, chaos broke out along State House Road and University Way as students from the University of Nairobi (UoN) took to the streets, demanding that classes resume immediately amid the ongoing lecturers’ strike.
Students from various campuses gathered, lighting bonfires and blocking major roads while chanting slogans, blowing vuvuzelas, and waving banners under the rallying cry of “Education Under Siege.”
The protest, organized by the University of Nairobi Students Association (UNSA), kicked off at the students’ hostels and quickly spilled onto State House Road, where demonstrators set fire to debris, causing traffic to come to a halt.
Witnesses reported that security officers from the State House responded swiftly, arriving in a white vehicle to disperse the crowd and clear the road.
Undeterred, the protesters regrouped and marched toward University Way, where they blocked the busy highway, continuing their chants and bringing traffic to a standstill.
During the demonstration, UNSA Secretary General Wasike Elisha urged the government to step in quickly to resolve the ongoing stalemate between the lecturers and the university management.
“Our education is being held hostage. We are tired of sitting idle while our future is in limbo,” Elisha said.
Another student, Hillary Okoth, expressed the frustration that many learners are feeling after almost a month of being stuck in academic limbo.
“Our comrades have exhausted their upkeep and HELB funds, yet studies remain halted. As the saying goes, when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers,” Okoth said.
The students are calling on the government to release the Sh7.9 billion that’s owed to lecturers as part of the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), according to the University Academic Staff Union (UASU).
Police have been stationed around the Main Campus and Uhuru Highway to keep an eye on the situation, and they’re advising motorists to steer clear of the affected routes.
The lecturers’ strike has now entered its fourth week, causing significant disruptions to learning at all public universities. This has left thousands of students in limbo, with no clear indication of when classes will resume.
UoN Students Protest, Block Road
