Learning activities at Karatina university have been suspended with immediate effect following the prolonged disruption caused by a six-week strike by university staff.
In a statement released on Monday, November 3, 2025, after a Special Senate meeting, the university announced that all academic activities for the First Semester of the 2025/2026 academic year have been put on hold until further notice.
“The Senate, in its special sitting, resolved to suspend all teaching and learning activities with immediate effect, except for those in the School of Health Sciences,” the statement read in part.
Students have been directed to vacate the university premises by noon today.
The administration assured that the academic calendar and student elections timetable will be revised once normal operations resume, starting with activities that had been scheduled for November 2025.
The Senate, Management, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor expressed appreciation to students for their patience and cooperation during the disruption.
“All students are advised to remain vigilant and regularly check the university website, students’ portal, and other official communication channels for updates on the resumption of learning,” the notice stated.
The nationwide university lecturers’ strike is set to continue after the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) rejected the government’s phased payment plan for the Sh7.9 billion owed to lecturers.
Speaking on Friday in Nairobi, UASU Secretary General Constantine Wesonga said the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Delegates Conference (NDC) had unanimously dismissed the government’s proposal, insisting that lecturers will only return to class after receiving full payment of the pending dues.
“The government must settle the Ksh7.9 billion in full and without delay. Lecturers don’t dispense knowledge in phases, so it’s unreasonable to think their dues can be paid in phases,” Wesonga stated.
He accused the government of failing to honour past agreements, saying that lecturers have endured years of empty promises and delayed payments.
The SG reiterated that the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) must be negotiated, registered, and implemented in its entirety before any learning activities can resume.
Wesonga said the union will not accept partial fulfilment of commitments, stressing that lecturers have endured years of neglect and broken promises from successive administrations.