Ogamba dismisses fake letter on closure of universities amid lecturers’ strike
Education Ministry Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba Migos came out guns blazing to dismiss a statement ordering university students to stay at home due to the ongoing lecturers’ strike.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, Ogamba stated that a letter circulating online, purporting to bear his name, was false.
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“The letter currently circulating and purporting to be from me is fake. I urge the public to treat it with the contempt it deserves,” Ogamba clarified in a statement.
He urged students and parents not to panic, insisting that no directive had been issued to close universities until 2026.
Also watch: CS Migos Ogamba outlines the reasons behind the lecturers’ strike
The CS said government channels remain the only credible source of information on matters of higher education.
Lecturers vow to remain outside classrooms
The clarification comes at a time when learning in public universities remains paralysed for the third week due to the ongoing lecturers’ strike.
At a joint press briefing in Nairobi, University Academic Staff Union (UASU) National Chairperson Grace Nyongesa said lecturers will not return to work until their demands are met.
“We shall remain outside until the issues raised are addressed. There are no negotiations currently underway,” Nyongesa said, adding that the 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) must be fully implemented and that talks for the 2025–2029 CBA should start immediately.
Watch: UASU tells CS Ogamba to stop lecturing lecturers
Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU) Secretary-General Charles Mukhwaya accused university councils of misleading the public.
He reminded Kenyans that the Attorney General had already issued an advisory and the court had ordered that the CBAs be honoured.
“The court has directed that we be paid. Whatever they are saying now, the court has refused.
“We cannot negotiate a court judgment. Let them pay,” Dr Mukhwaya said, warning that failure to comply amounted to contempt of court.
Students caught in the crossfire
Lecturers are demanding that the State settle Ksh7.9 billion in arrears from the 2017–2021 CBA while simultaneously beginning talks for the next cycle.
The prolonged industrial action has left students stranded, with some threatening to stage demonstrations if the stalemate is not resolved soon.
Watch: Students cry out as lecturers’ strike paralyses learning in universities
Last week, Ogamba had warned lecturers that defying a High Court order to resume duty would attract disciplinary action.
Treasury has since released Ksh2.5 billion to support Phase Two of the current CBA, but unions maintain the amount falls short of what is owed.
