A recent press briefing by the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) at their headquarters took a pronounced political tone, with officials employing strategic language to pressure the government into complying with a court ruling for a 50-60% salary increment for teachers.
According to the statement, Knut officials, led by Secretary General Wilson Sossion and Chairman Mudzo Nzili, deliberately targeted President Uhuru Kenyatta and Education Minister Jacob Kaimenyi with their criticism, while tactfully exempting Deputy President William Ruto from blame.
In their address, Sossion and Nzili praised Ruto, quoting him as saying that teachers must be paid according to the court's ruling. This move was seen as a calculated attempt to isolate Ruto from the rest of the government and portray him as a supporter of the teachers' cause.
The Knut leadership also touched on corruption within the government, citing research that indicates Kenya loses approximately Sh600 billion annually due to corruption. Sossion's speech emphasized the need to address this issue.
Sources close to the Knut executive meeting revealed that the union leaders have discussed and agreed that, if necessary, they would mobilize their members to vote against the president and his party in the 2017 general elections. Each Knut member would be expected to convince at least 20 voters to oppose the president and his party.
