Lecturers' strike casts cloud on universities' graduation schedule

University students due to graduate in the coming weeks risk missing the ceremonies as the lecturers’ strike disrupts clearance processes and leaves some unable to resolve missing marks issues.

Some final year students now say they have been unable to complete clearance because lecturers who head departments are away, while those with missing marks cannot reach the lecturers responsible for correcting their academic records.

Celine Kwamboka, who expects to graduate from Laikipia University in November, said she had begun following up on missing marks before the strike began but had since been unable to reach the lecturer responsible.

“I do not know whether the strike will end in time for me to resolve the issue and graduate as planned or whether I will have to wait for another year,” Kwamboka said.

She said a delay would disrupt her plans to begin applying for jobs, as she had anticipated completing her studies and obtaining her degree certificate.

“Without my degree certificate, I worry about the opportunities I could miss and what I will do during the extra year if the issue remains unresolved,” Kwamboka said, urging the Government and lecturers to dialogue and reach a lasting solution.

At Kibabii University, Collins Otieno, a student, said the absence of lecturers who also serve as heads of departments had made it difficult for finalists to complete clearance.

Otieno said students with missing marks were also struggling to have them corrected, while uncertainty over graduation dates had left some unsure whether their plans would be disrupted by possible postponements.

Peter Shako, a student at the University of Nairobi, said the shutdown of departmental operations had made clearance difficult, claiming that lecturers had prevented non-teaching staff, including administrators and secretaries, from working.

“It is impossible to clear right now because the lecturers are gone and they bullied other staff from different departments not to work. No one is allowed to work, so even the department is closed,” he said.

At Karatina University, students have issued the Government a five-day ultimatum to address their grievances, warning that they will join the strike on Tuesday if their concerns are not resolved.

“If lecturers are still on strike by Monday next week, we will join them on Tuesday until they are paid,” said a student at the university.

Meanwhile, the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) has issued a notice of a planned peaceful procession on Thursday from the University of Nairobi’s Graduation Square to Parliament, the National Treasury and Ministry of Education offices, before returning to the university.

For students awaiting graduation, the immediate concern is whether the dispute will be resolved in time for them to clear outstanding requirements and graduate as planned, rather than face further delays in completing their studies.