The painful cost of public universities shutdown

More than 700,000 students face lost learning time, rising living costs and uncertainty as talks to end the ongoing lecturers' strike collapse.

Union officials from Kusu, Uasu and Kudheiha gather at Technical University of Kenya on October 2, 2026 during the first day of the nationwide strike over the 2025-2029 collective bargaining agreement.

More than 700,000 students in public universities are bearing the cost of the lecturers’ strike, now in its second week, after negotiations collapsed yesterday, prolonging the disruption of learning.

Students have lost valuable learning time and fear their upkeep money will run out before teaching resumes. Some face a choice between remaining on campus without lectures and spending more money travelling home.

The strike has disrupted the transition to university life for first year students, many of whom are demoralised and uncertain when their studies will resume, barely weeks after the academic year began.

Source: Nation