Striking Moi University UASU members at the institution on November 8, 2024.
Student leaders from several public universities in the country have expressed their disappointment over the ongoing lecturers' strike, now in its third week, saying they are being wasted.
After the government's attempts to resolve the impasse failed last week, students have been left in a dilemma, with the majority now facing the threat of being subjected to exams without covering the syllabus.
Since this semester started in September, some students have barely spent three weeks in class, with a majority attending fewer than three lessons per unit.
The situation is dire for first-year learners who had barely adjusted to the campus study rhythm before their lecturers boycotted work demanding full implementation of the return-to-wok formula they signed with the government.
Addressing the media on Sunday outside the University of Nairobi, student leaders said they were staring at a lost semester and financial losses occasioned by the strike.
Masten Onyango, a student at Kenyatta University, said had barely covered half of this semester’s coursework, and they are expected to sit their exams, which they said would be unfair to them.
“We are in school but we are overwhelmed with uncertainty of how this semester is going to terminate. The exam timetable is out with a lot of lessons not taught and most assessment tests not done,” Mr Onyango said.
Zadock Okoth Nyakwaga, Kenyatta University Students Association secretary-general, said they had not covered the coursework for this semester and that the government should meet the lecturers’ demands so that learning could resume.
“We are asking the government to find an amicable solution between them and lecturers to call off this strike and ensure that they can recoup the time that has been lost,” Mr Nyakwaga said.
At the same time, the student leaders criticised the government for pushing on with the implementation of the new funding for higher education.
This is despite the High Court’s order issued on October 3 by Justice Chacha Mwita which temporarily suspended its implementation following the case that was filed by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC).
“We are asking the Judiciary to consider it as a matter of urgency. We expect nothing but a verdict that is going to do away with the new funding model,” Mr Nyakwaga said.
His sentiments were echoed by Chuka University students’ leader Adrian Oluoch who stated that they support the ongoing lecturers’ strike, but its continuity is becoming a matter of concern not only to students but to parents as well.
Mr Oluoch claimed that the final-year students were now staring at extended stay on campus amid doubts about funding.
Tired of idling on campus, he said their colleagues had resorted to returning home and roaming in towns as learning remains paralysed.
“The amount of free time that students are having is alarming and no education is ongoing in universities. It is even surprising that students can go out on Friday and come back on Wednesday just because there is no learning in the universities,” Mr Oluoch said.
Last week, the government’s attempt to resolve the stalemate with lecturers stalled after the Interpublic Universities Council Consultative Forum failed to provide evidence approving Sh4.3 billion offer to lecturers.
Universities Academic Staff Union Secretary-General Constantine Wesonga announced that they will only call off the strike if the government meets their demands contained in the Collective Bargaining Agreement which was signed in September.
