How universities risk shutdown as students threaten to back striking dons

Public universities are staring at fresh turmoil after student leaders threatened to join lecturers in the streets if the government fails to pay dons their long-delayed salaries and allowances.

The warning came during a meeting between over 140 student leaders from public universities and TVET institutions and Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka.

The student leaders expressed their frustrations over the sorry state of higher education in the country, accusing the government of neglecting education and warned that Gen Z students would not hesitate to take to the streets in solidarity with their lecturers.

“We shall join our lectures in the streets if the government does not pay them their dues. That is their hard-earned money that they are rightfully demanding, “said the president of Chuka University Ashley Rono.

Rono declared that students would paralyse campus activities if the standoff persisted.

The lecturers, under the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU),  downed tools earlier this month citing unpaid salary arrears, delayed allowances, and the government’s failure to honor a collective bargaining agreement that was meant to improve pay and working conditions.

UASU has also raised concerns about the sustainability of the new university funding model, which it says has left many institutions struggling to pay staff, run operations, or even service debts.

The strike, now in its third week, has left public universities in paralysis, with lectures suspended and students stranded midway through the semester.

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka echoed the students’ frustrations, blaming the government for what he termed as total mismanagement of the education sector.

Kalonzo also criticised President William Ruto’s university funding model, saying it had locked out thousands of bright but needy students from pursuing higher education.

“Our education, health, and agriculture sectors are in shambles. The government has money for corruption and handouts but cannot fund free secondary education or pay lecturers. Young Kenyans are angry, their parents are angry.The time for this corrupt leaders is up,” Kalonzo said.

He pledged that under his leadership, education would be prioritized, lecturers’ dues paid, and students supported to complete their studies without financial strain.

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who also addressed the young leaders via a phone call, distanced himself from the crisis facing the education sector while expressing his regret for his past support for President Ruto.

Gachagua admitted that the government has failed students and lecturers apologising for backing the wrong leadership.

“I am very ashamed that Ruto has ruined our university Education Financing model. That is one of the reasons why I differed with him. I want to apologize for bringing you a bad leader and giving him the presidency,” Gachagua said.

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino rallied students to unite, register as voters, and use the ballot to reject leaders who he said have disrespected comrades.

Babu accused the government of turning education into the most expensive commodity while leaving institutions underfunded and lecturers demoralized.

“Comrades are the cream de la cream of society. Without education, a nation cannot exist. Yet institutions are being shut down, lecturers go unpaid, and students are killed during protests. Enough is enough,” Babu said.

He added that graduates are entering the job market only to be overtaxed and underpaid, with little to show for the sacrifices made by their families.

“The greatest beneficiary of an educated comrade is not even the comrade; it is the government. Yet the same government disrespects us,” he said.

The students highlighted insecurity in their various institutions, unemployment, and rising living costs with little and delayed HELB loans as key issues that had left them frustrated.

Pwani University Secretary General Emeritus Samuel Kyama noted that delayed HELB disbursements had left many students struggling to pay rent and buy food, while university fee hikes were pushing education further out of reach.

“Parents are sacrificing everything, from selling land to working menial jobs to educate us. Yet our lecturers are unpaid, and when we graduate, we are jobless and overtaxed. This government is leaving us no choice but to fight back,” he said.

As the lecturers’ strike drags on, the students’ threat to escalate the crisis adds fresh pressure on the government, with university campuses now at the center of a wider battle over education funding and youth empowerment.

The confrontation by the student leaders underscores the broader discontent simmering among young people, many of whom feel betrayed by the government’s handling of the economy, employment, and education.