This archive report was first published on 10 September 2019.
Published on September 10, 2019, a group of medical students at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya, joined the institution in 2012 to pursue a Bachelor of Medicine degree, expecting to graduate after six years.
However, seven years later, their dreams remain unfulfilled due to a series of strikes by their lecturers.
The current group of students in their final year have spent an extra year due to the strikes, which have become a recurring issue at the university.
At least five strikes have been witnessed at Moi University in the past five years, with two long ones in 2017, over unpaid clinical allowances dating back to 2017.
Students who spoke to the Nation lamented that the strikes were taking a serious toll on them, with most supporting better employment terms for lecturers and blaming university administrators for not accommodating the dons' demands.
One final-year student shared their frustration, saying, 'Depression is real here. My inner spirit for this course is now diminishing. Back in 2012 when I joined this institution, I was very focused. But honestly, I'm now a bit lost. These frequent strikes by our lecturers have really messed me. This is my seventh year.'
Another student expressed concern about the delay in completing their studies, stating that they have been struggling to make ends meet due to the recurrent, prolonged strikes.
Students resumed studies only last week after their lecturers suspended their two-and-a-half-month strike, and now want the administration and the Ministry of Education to look for a lasting solution to the strikes.
Prof Benson Gakinya of the Department of Mental Health noted that students are battling stress due to the prolonged studies, while Prof Lukoye Atwoli, the former dean of the School of Medicine, quit the position during the strike, citing the administration's failure to address the frequent strikes.
