This archive report was first published on 28 June 2021.
On June 25, 2021, Wilson Sossion, the former Secretary-General of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), resigned after more than a decade at the helm of the union. He cited his intention to focus on his role in parliament.
Just a day later, Collins Oyuu was elected Secretary-General of KNUT unopposed. Oyuu has since vowed to revive the union through negotiations with the Teachers' Service Commission (TSC).
According to Oyuu, the previous regime lacked negotiations with the TSC, which he believes was a major factor in the union's decline. He pointed out that the National Executive Council was not consulted on most of the decisions made by his predecessor, and that the Annual General Meetings (AGM) had not been held for the past two years.
Oyuu also attributed the sharp decrease in the union's membership to the poor leadership of his predecessor. The union's membership has decreased from 150,000 to 16,000, with many teachers opting out to get promotions.
It is understood that the fear of being locked out of promotions and the looming deduction to recover money paid to KNUT members following the implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement two years ago is behind the mass exit.
Oyuu has scheduled his first meeting with the TSC for later in the day, and has expressed confidence that his entrance to the KNUT leadership will do away with the frustrations teachers have faced in the recent past.
