Lawyer Willis Otieno has weighed in on the ongoing lecturers’ strike, faulting the government for what he describes as years of neglect and reactive leadership in handling crises in public universities.
Otieno said Kenya’s higher education sector has been trapped in a cycle of recurring strikes and stalled reforms, warning that the country risks destroying the very system meant to produce thinkers and innovators.
In a statement shared on X, the outspoken lawyer noted that university workers have been forced to resort to industrial action every few years just to be heard, while authorities continue to treat their demands as an afterthought.
“It’s deeply troubling that we’ve normalized crisis as the only language through which workers are heard,” Otieno wrote. “Every few years, the pattern repeats itself — strikes drag on, learning is disrupted, parents are anxious, and only then do we see hurried meetings and reactive decisions.”
The strike, now in its second week, has disrupted learning in several universities as lecturers push for implementation of collective bargaining agreements and better funding.
Otieno linked the crisis to what he called a growing disconnect between the country’s ambitious education reforms at lower levels and the neglect of the institutions meant to anchor its knowledge economy.
“Kenya can’t build a knowledge-driven future while starving universities of dignity, resources, and strategic vision,” he said, warning that underfunding and poor planning could derail national development.
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