This archive report was first published on 14 May 2020.
On May 14, 2020, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) called on Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha to include the union in the nine-member committee reviewing school reopening under COVID-19 guidelines.
KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion criticized CS Magoha for disregarding the union's participation in the team chaired by Dr Sarah Ruto, which is expected to review and re-organize the school calendar as part of the post-COVID-19 recovery strategy.
According to Sossion, Magoha's decision to exclude KNUT from the committee contravenes international conventions, treaties, and agreements as provided for within the International Labor Organization (ILO), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the union's constitution.
KNUT has been critical of Magoha's dictatorial tendencies, particularly in overlooking teachers' input in affairs that directly concern and affect them.
As Sossion noted, 'Anything without our involvement and participation cannot be for us. Nothing for us without us.'
The union has also expressed concerns over the implementation of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) without their input, citing the union's exclusion in the curriculum review taskforce.
