JKUAT Temporarily Suspends Learning Amid Lecturers Strike

By Samuel Ouma

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) has announced the suspension of all learning activities indefinitely due to an ongoing strike by staff unions.

The strike, spearheaded by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU), has thrown a wrench into the usual academic operations, prompting the university administration to put a stop to classes across the main campus.

In a statement released after a Special Senate Meeting on Thursday, October 30, 2025, at noon, the university announced its decision to “temporarily suspend academic activities with immediate effect until further notice.”

The notice, which was signed by Prof. Robert Kinyua, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs, instructed all students to leave the campus by “4:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 2, 2025.”

The university explained that the ongoing strike by staff has “adversely affected the normal operations of academic programmes,” making it impossible to continue with teaching and exams. Consequently, the management felt it had no option but to pause academic operations to maintain order and protect the integrity of university processes.

However, this suspension doesn’t apply to everyone. The notice specifies that certain groups of students are exempt, including medical students on clinical rotations, students from the JKUAT TVET Institute, Mombasa Campus, SODEL, JKUAT/KESRA, Nakuru Campus, and postgraduate students engaged in research.

The university expressed its regret over the disruption caused by this sudden closure.

“The University management regrets any inconvenience this may cause and appreciates your understanding and cooperation during this period.”

They also assured students and stakeholders that updates regarding the resumption of learning will be shared through the University's official channels.