On 25 August 2026, students at Lesotho’s National University of Lesotho (NUL) in Roma protested over unresolved grievances concerning government scholarships, student registration and the longstanding failure to provide student identification cards. The protest followed a formal notice issued by the NUL Student Representative Council (SRC) to university management on 24 August, informing it of an emergency student union public gathering scheduled for 25 August. The SRC said the gathering was intended to deliberate on pressing student welfare and academic issues.
Among the grievances were the withdrawal or revocation of scholarships from students who had already been attending classes after being financially and academically cleared; delays in submitting names of scholarship beneficiaries to NUL, preventing some students from registering; and delays in the payment of students’ lump-sum allowances. The SRC also complained that scholarship waiting lists were not being disclosed, leaving students uncertain about their academic and financial status.
Another longstanding grievance was the absence of student identification cards. The SRC said many students had gone through their university careers without receiving cards, despite paying for the service.
The protest was subsequently dispersed by police. Reports of a student being shot were denied by both SRC President Tumo Tsanyane and Roma police, who confirmed that no student was shot. Police nevertheless intervened to disperse the protesters, while tyres were reportedly burned outside the campus. The incident raises concerns about the policing of student assembly and comes amid broader concerns about increasingly securitised responses to civic protest in Lesotho.
NUL occupies a particularly sensitive position in Lesotho’s political and civic environment. As the country’s principal university, it is an important centre of national intellectual and youth life, where political parties engage young people, identify potential youth leaders and recruit new members. Consequently, student grievances can quickly acquire a political dimension with parties aligning themselves or opposing their position, increasing the chances for a heavy-handed state response. Lesotho has previously witnessed the fatal consequences of police intervention in student protests, including the 2022 killing of NUL student Kopano Makutoane during a protest over NMDS allowances. With legitimate student demands framed primarily as a threat to public order rather than as issues requiring dialogue and institutional resolution, this risks weakening trust between students and state institutions, discouraging future peaceful mobilization, and creating a chilling effect on civic participation among young people.