This archive report was first published on 18 September 2019.
Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion has maintained that the union is intact despite a tumultuous work relationship with Deputy Secretary-General Hesbon Otieno and a section of the executive council.
According to Sossion, the union's troubles are not of its own making but rather triggered by external forces keen on disrupting the labour movement.
“Knut is not at war with anyone nor with itself. We all interact well. It is the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) which is the biggest stumbling block here. It is not Sossion. I think we made a big mistake as a country to create an independent and constitutional commission without the representation of the key stakeholders, who are teachers, to run it,” Sossion said.
The union has been operating without resources for the past three months, which Sossion attributed to TSC's subversion. He claimed that the union is being starved of resources partly because of its strong stance on the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
“It is a liaison between TSC and the Ministry to starve the union of resources partly because our strong stand on the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) is always perceived as a fight against a government project,” Sossion said.
The union has chosen to suspend its comments on the CBC until the 62nd annual general conference, where it will table its observations.
Mr Sossion, who claims to enjoy almost 100 percent of the country's teachers' support, said he is not keen on relinquishing his position now, given the tumultuous situation the union is in.
