Learning was paralysed at the University of Nairobi (UoN) as students took to the streets in protest over missing marks and delayed examination results, which have left them uncertain about their academic progression.
The students, carrying placards, chanting slogans, and blowing vuvuzelas, poured into the streets around the main campus, engaging police in running battles that left some injured.
The day-long demonstrations triggered a major traffic snarl-up on University Way, forcing motorists to turn back and prompting police to lob tear gas canisters to disperse the crowds.
“We cannot allow learning to commence for the semester without clear direction, as the withheld results are what’s required to give a clear roadmap of how each of us will progress,” University of Nairobi Students Association (UNSA) secretary general Elisha Wasike said.
University of Nairobi students demonstrate on University Way on September 3, 2025 over delay by the institution to release their exam results.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
The protest comes barely a week after the institution reopened for the semester and admitted first-year students.
Students with scheduled lessons said they waited in lecture halls the entire time, only to leave after no lecturer turned up and no communication was received. Others were turned away and blocked from accessing the main campus by protesting colleagues, some of whom were armed with sticks.
The students noted that more than half of the university’s faculties are facing serious academic disruptions due to missing marks, which have also affected timelines for sitting supplementary and special examinations.
Six of the 11 faculties are affected, with Health Sciences, Law, Business Management, and Built Environment & Design (FBED) hardest hit.
“For instance, at the Faculty of Health Sciences, no single student has received their results, including sixth-year Dental Surgery students whose graduation is set for December,” said Mr Wasike.
The Faculty of Health Sciences houses the Departments of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Surgery, and Medical Laboratory Sciences.
UoN Director of Corporate Affairs John Orindi explained that a go-slow at the Faculty of Health Sciences had resulted in delays in releasing marks, but said the matter was being addressed.
University of Nairobi students block traffic flow on University Way on September 3, 2025 during demonstrations over delay by the institution to release their exam results.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
“For the rest of the faculties, results have been released. Those without results either have supplementaries or have not cleared the household component of their fees,” he said.
Mr Wasike noted that some fourth-year Law students are yet to receive their first-year results, meaning their names will not appear on the ‘pass list’ and they will therefore not graduate.
A section of Business Management students missed last September’s graduation and now fear a repeat at this year’s ceremony, set for September 19, 2025, as they are yet to receive their results.
“For this lot, we noticed unauthorised changes in their transcripts, which resulted in delays in releasing their results. They should be able to graduate this year if they made the requisite application,” said Mr Orindi.
To make it to the graduation list, a student must have met all academic requirements and applied for a clearance certificate.
The students claimed that some of their colleagues’ results had been withheld due to fee arrears after the government failed to remit its share of the fees.
They added that attempts to reach an amicable solution with the UoN management had been frustrated by bureaucracy, compelling them to hold demonstrations.
About a week ago, UoN students also protested at the Kenyatta National Hospital campus, where the Dean of Students assured them that their issues would be addressed, but nothing has materialised to date, they said.
The delays have fuelled anxiety and disrupted academic planning, especially for students on scholarships or sponsorships that require transcripts.
