JKUAT Orders Students To Vacate Campus Amid Lecturers' Strike Turmoil

Kenya, 1 November 2025 – Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) has been closed indefinitely following a prolonged lecturers' strike that has paralysed academic activities, leaving thousands of students in limbo.

The decision, announced on Saturday via a memo to learners and staff, was made during JKUAT's Senate meeting on Thursday, 30 October 2025 at 12 noon where university top hierarchy cited the ongoing industrial action by members of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU) as the primary cause.

The strike by both UASU and KUSU members has severely disrupted teaching and operations at public universities, prompting the JKUAT administration to suspend all academic programmes with immediate effect.

In the memo, JKUAT's management ordered students on campus to vacate the premises by 4pm on Sunday, 2 November 2025.

It emphasised that the closure would remain in place until further notice, though there are some exceptions.

"This directive does not affect the following: Medical students who are on clinical rotations, JKUAT TVET Institute students, Mombasa Campus students, SODel students, JKUAT/KESRA students, Nakuru Campus students, and Postgraduate students, who are conducting research," the JKUAT memo clarified.

The strike, part of a broader wave of unrest in Kenya's higher education sector, stems from demands for better pay, improved working conditions, and resolution of long-standing grievances with the government.

UASU and KUSU have accused authorities of failing to honour collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), leading to widespread walkouts across public universities.

This week, UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga said the dons have rejected the government's proposal to pay KSh 7.9 billion in salary arrears in two installments, demanding full immediate settlement.

"Lecturers through their unions have instructed me that they don't disseminate knowledge in phases," said Dr Wasonga.

The seven-week strike, stemming from the unfulfilled 2017-2021 CBA, has paralysed academic activities at public universities.

Students have lost a lot in this academic calendar and some have exhausted personal effects and food reserves, amidst mounting financial pressures from accommodation and fees.

There are concerns that the disruption will delay graduations.

Left without option, many have already begun packing up, with reports of chaotic scenes at the Juja campus (main) as transport arrangements were hastily organised.

This is not the first time JKUAT has faced such disruption. Historical closures in 2019 and 2017 were triggered by student protests over insecurity and fee policies, but the current impasse appears more entrenched, tied to national labour disputes.