This archive report was first published on 28 June 2021.
June 28, 2021 - Nairobi, Kenya - Collins Oyuu, the newly elected Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General, has made restoring the union's relationship with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) a top priority.
Oyuu's predecessor, Wilson Sossion, resigned as Secretary General on June 25, 2021, to focus on his political career in Parliament. Sossion's departure has left the union with a significant challenge, including a failure by the TSC to remit dues, crippling the union's finances.
According to Oyuu, the union's woes are largely attributed to Sossion's leadership. Oyuu has vowed to mend the broken relationship between the union and the TSC, which has been strained for the past five years.
"We couldn't negotiate with TSC or sit at a roundtable with them, and even as we speak, we have secured a meeting with them so that we come up with that industrial harmony that has been lacking for the past five years and maybe that could bring KNUT back to its feet," Oyuu said.
Oyuu also plans to boost the union's membership, which has shrunk to 15,000 members from 200,000. He believes that many of the members who left the union did not follow the proper procedures for withdrawal.
"For those who didn't follow the law, I believe they are still members of this union, if TSC agrees then we shall get back the membership," Oyuu said.
