Since 2 October 2026, lecturers at Kenya’s public universities have been on strike over pay and unpaid funds. In Nigeria, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has matriculated more than 49,000 new students this year through distance learning, a model built for working people. The two stories show where African higher education is under strain, and where it is quietly expanding.
Key facts
- Kenya’s Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) walked out on 2 October 2026 after rejecting a 4% annual pay rise; the unions say inflation is above 6%.
- The government’s proposed KSh 9.76 billion package for the 2025–2029 collective bargaining agreement was rejected as un-negotiated.
- NOUN matriculated 25,517 students in April 2026, including 4,107 master’s students, and reported 23,885 more on 7 October 2026.
- Only about 9% of young people in sub-Saharan Africa are enrolled in higher education, against a global average of 43%, according to UNESCO data cited by Ecofin Agency.
Why are Kenya’s lecturers on strike?
The dispute is about more than salaries. UASU says university councils, the Ministry of Education and the National Treasury never honoured a return-to-work formula signed on 5 November 2025. Talks with the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum collapsed on 1 October. The unions also want harmonised allowances, car loans and mortgage schemes, and an end to pay decisions issued by circular rather than negotiated.
Constantine Wasonga, UASU’s Secretary General, framed the deeper problem in a statement reported by University World News and Citizen Digital: “Universities are technically insolvent because the government has not been remitting money due to them.” He has also argued, according to The Star, that a four-year agreement cannot cost roughly the same KSh 9.7 billion that the 2021–2025 deal consumed in two. George Osanjo, who leads the union’s University of Nairobi chapter, opposes any shift of costs onto student fees.
History weighs on both sides. Wasonga has cited the nine-month strike of 2003, which won a 116% pay increase, and more recent stoppages of 49 and 70 days that won far less.
Who studies at an open university?
NOUN looks very different. Re-established in 2001, it teaches through open and distance learning across study centres nationwide, and it held its April 2026 matriculation virtually, with the Registrar administering the oath over Zoom. Its intake skews toward professional fields and postgraduate study, the profile of people who already work.
| NOUN matriculation | April 2026 | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | 19,149 | 17,471 |
| Postgraduate diploma | 2,194 | 1,967 |
| Master’s | 4,107 | 4,333 |
| MPhil and PhD | 67 | 114 |
| Total | 25,517 | 23,885 |
The April figures were published by NOUN and by Blueprint; the October figures come from a NOUN statement reported by The Sun. Management Sciences alone took 7,519 April entrants, ahead of Social Sciences and Computing. A BusinessDay report from 2024 quoted an accounting student in Lagos who chose NOUN because daily lectures would have hurt her business. That is the lifelong learning case in one sentence.
How wide is the access gap in African higher education?
Supply is the bottleneck. With roughly one young person in eleven enrolled in tertiary education across sub-Saharan Africa, conventional campuses cannot absorb demand, let alone adults returning for a second qualification. Strikes make the problem worse: every week of closure pushes back graduation for students who often borrow or work to pay fees. Our earlier analysis, 269 Million Students Later, looked at the global side of this access gap, and a separate piece traced how financial pressure is reshaping universities.
Open learning has limits too. Distance learners need data, devices and strong student support, and employers still need confidence in the quality of the degree.
What this means for educators and trainers
For African higher education, the practical lessons apply on and off campus. Universities in Kenya and elsewhere can protect learning during disruption by keeping a blended backbone: recorded lectures, online assessments and clear rules for credit when campuses close. Institutions that want adult learners should offer evening, weekend and modular routes, and recognise prior learning so experienced workers do not start from zero. Employers and HR teams can sponsor staff through accredited distance programmes and agree study time in advance. Adult educators and career advisers should help learners check accreditation status with national regulators, such as Nigeria’s National Universities Commission or Kenya’s Commission for University Education, before they enrol.
FAQ
Why are Kenyan university lecturers on strike in October 2026?
They want the 2025–2029 collective bargaining agreement implemented, reject a 4% annual raise, and say the government has not released funds promised under a November 2025 return-to-work deal.
How many students joined NOUN in 2026?
NOUN matriculated 25,517 students in April 2026 and reported a further 23,885 in October 2026.
Can working adults study at African open universities?
Yes. Open and distance universities such as NOUN are designed for flexible study, and many entrants already work.
Sources: University World News; Citizen Digital; The Star; The Kenya Times; NOUN News; Blueprint; The Sun; BusinessDay; Ecofin Agency.
