A document circulating on social media claims that the Kenyan Ministry of Education has announced the continuation of the university lecturers’ strike until January 2026. The supposed internal memorandum, dated September 30, 2025, appears to bear the signature of Julius Ogamba, the Cabinet Secretary for Education. However, Ogamba has denied the authenticity of the document, labeling it as “fake” on his official social media account.
The document in question directs university students to vacate campus premises by 1 pm on September 30, 2025, citing the ongoing negotiations between the Ministry, the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), and other stakeholders. UASU, the national labor union representing academic staff in Kenyan public universities and colleges, had issued a seven-day strike notice on September 10, 2025, due to the government’s alleged failure to honor a bargaining agreement.
Despite the treasury’s release of funds, the union has been seeking to address arrears from 2017 to 2021. On September 19, 2025, the labor relations court suspended the strike, ordering the union and the government to resolve their differences. Ogamba had threatened lecturers with disciplinary action if they failed to resume work.
The strike has entered its third week, with public university lecturers holding a protest on September 24, 2025, creating uncertainty about when students would resume learning. An investigation by Africa Check found no credible media reports supporting the claim that the Ministry directed students to leave campuses or that the strike would continue until January 2026.
Ogamba’s denial of the document’s authenticity has been corroborated by the lack of reporting from local media houses, which would have been expected to cover such a significant development. The Cabinet Secretary’s explicit labeling of the document as “fake” on his official social media account further reinforces the conclusion that the circulating document is not genuine.
In light of this, the public is advised to disregard the fake document and await official communication from the Ministry of Education or other authorized sources regarding the status of the lecturers’ strike and its impact on university operations. The ongoing negotiations between the government and UASU are expected to continue, with the goal of resolving the outstanding issues and restoring normalcy to Kenya’s public universities.