On Tuesday, Oct. 27, University of Nairobi students took to Waiyaki Way, erecting stone barricades and lighting bonfires, which forced motorists to turn back or seek alternate routes as traffic came to a standstill.

Police responded by deploying tear‑gas, scattering the demonstrators and later removing the makeshift barriers to restore traffic flow.

The Oct. 27 clash follows a similar protest on Oct. 21, when students again blocked the highway, lit bonfires and were dispersed by police, indicating that earlier actions had not eased student frustration.

Students say the prolonged lecturers’ strike, which began on Oct. 2, has caused missed lectures, disrupted examinations and left them uncertain about completing their programmes.

The strike stems from a dispute over the 2025‑2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement; unions rejected a government counter‑offer of Sh11.9 billion, deeming it insufficient to fund salaries and allowances.

Universities Academic Staff Union secretary‑general Constantine Wasonga has insisted that any agreement must be backed by firm funding commitments from the National Treasury.

The industrial action has halted teaching across public universities, leaving students caught between union demands and government negotiations.