This archive report was first published on 24 August 2019.
August 24, 2019
Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) branches across the country have come to a standstill due to a cash crisis.
The crisis was triggered by the Teachers Service Commission's (TSC) decision not to deduct agency dues from members' pay, a move that has left the union in a financial hole.
According to sources, the union has not paid secretaries, office assistants, clerks, guards, and other workers for two months, with some branch officials describing the situation as dire.
Branch annual general meetings have been suspended indefinitely due to the crisis, and banks and other financial institutions are now demanding that the union pays off its loans.
It is estimated that Knut receives Sh140 million every month from TSC as union dues, but the union claims it has been denied Sh50 million monthly fee from thousands of teachers who are not unionised.
Meanwhile, the Employment and Labour Relations Court has ordered TSC to remit the money to the giant union, but the commission has declined, instead settling the fee for the rival Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet).
Central Organisation of Trade Unions Secretary-General Francis Atwoli has urged Knut officials to work closely and avoid 'unnecessary' wrangles, cautioning them against falling prey to divisive politics.
