A document circulating on social media claims that the Kenyan Ministry of Education announced the continuation of the university lecturers’ strike until January 2026. The purported internal memorandum, dated 30 September 2025, appears to bear the signature of Julius Ogamba, the Cabinet Secretary for Education. However, Ogamba denied the document’s authenticity, labeling it “fake” on his official social media account.
The alleged memorandum directs university students to vacate campus premises by 1 p.m. on 30 September 2025, citing 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, issued a seven‑day strike notice on 10 September 2025, alleging the government’s failure to honor a bargaining agreement. Although the treasury released funds, the union continues to seek payment of arrears from 2017 to 2021.
On 19 September 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 entered its third week, and public‑university lecturers held a protest on 24 September 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 is corroborated by the absence of coverage from local media, which would be expected for such a significant development. His 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. Ongoing negotiations between the government and UASU are expected to continue, with the goal of resolving outstanding issues and restoring normalcy to Kenya’s public universities.
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