University students threaten to join lecturers' strike in 24 hours

The students lament that the ongoing strike by university dons has left them idle and unattended in classrooms, expressing concern that prolonged industrial action will affect their academic calendars.

The students, who say they spend most of their time in their residency halls or the library, say that if the strike is not resolved, they risk losing an entire semester.

Lecturers want the state to settle Ksh.7.9 billion in outstanding dues from the 2017-2021 CBA and also commence new talks for the 2025-2029 CBA.

This ongoing paralysis of learning in public universities mirrors a similar one last year, which saw the semester spill over to the first quarter of this year.

"Any delayed academic calendar, they shall compensate it. There’s an ongoing strike of lecturers, we shall not sit back and relax while these people are delaying our dreams in this nation," Desmond Mbare, a student at Kenyatta University, noted. 

"We demand a concrete public stated plan for the recovery of lost time including revised academic calendar to prevent this disruption from becoming a lost semester or delayed graduation for thousands of students," Victor Omondi, also a student at Kenyatta University, pointed out. 

"It’s remaining one month to our examination and we are not seeing our lecturers in class, we are not going to retreat. We are here so that you can hear our voices. The government should address this issue in 24 hours, if not we assure you we are going to be on the roads," Valentine Nyanchama, another student at Kenyatta University, added.