A leadership crisis is threatening to paralyse the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA Workers) following the death of Secretary General Albert Njeru Obed, with a section of union members now accusing Senior Deputy Secretary General Thomas Mboya of taking control of the union without the consent of the National Executive Board and refusing to recognise an alternative leadership decision made by the board.
Njeru died on 29 August 2026 after a short illness, bringing to an end his long tenure at the helm of KUDHEIHA. His death was formally announced by the labour movement, with his funeral held in Embu after a requiem mass at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi on September 7. Reports at the time described Njeru as a longstanding trade unionist who had served as KUDHEIHA Secretary General for about 19 years.
But barely days after his burial, the union was plunged into a succession dispute that has now spilled into the offices of the Registrar of Trade Unions and is threatening to disrupt the day to day running of an organisation representing workers across the domestic, hotel, education, hospital and allied sectors.
A member who has spoken to Nyakundi Report while requesting anonymity says the dispute started with what they describe as an attempt by Mboya to position himself as the automatic successor to Njeru, despite the National Executive Board being the body expected to deal with the leadership transition.
The member says that Mboya had already been holding succession discussions around the time of Njeru's funeral and that efforts were being made at the Central Organisation of Trade Unions Kenya level to secure his takeover of KUDHEIHA without allowing the union's membership and national leadership structures to determine who should occupy the vacant position.
According to the complaint, the National Executive Board eventually met and appointed Joseph Ndungu as Secretary General of KUDHEIHA Workers, a decision the complainant says was made on September 9. The member now says that Mboya subsequently moved to have himself recognised as acting Secretary General through the Registrar of Trade Unions, creating two competing claims over who has authority to run the union.
The dispute is not merely based on competing statements from the two sides. The Registrar of Trade Unions did indeed register Thomas Mboya as Acting Secretary General on September 9, 2026, according to an extract from the Register of Trade Unions reported by mainstream Kenyan outlets. Mboya had been serving as KUDHEIHA's Senior Deputy Secretary General before the registration.
That official registration is at the heart of the current dispute because the complainant insists that the National Executive Board had already made a different decision regarding the leadership of the union.
The member says that Mboya communicated to the Registrar that KUDHEIHA's headquarters had been burnt down and that official records were unavailable, a claim the complainant strongly disputes.
Public reporting confirms that the Registrar's extract dated September 9 formally recognised Mboya as acting Secretary General. The reports also describe him as a longstanding KUDHEIHA official who joined the union in 1993, became Kakamega Branch Secretary in 2006, served as National Treasurer in 2021 and later rose to Senior Deputy Secretary General.
According to the complaint, the National Chairman Douglas Kyallo has now called an extraordinary meeting for 19 September 2026, but Mboya sent an email to KUDHEIHA staff on September 18 warning them against attending the meeting.
The complainant says the email has deepened fears among employees because Mboya is threatening action against staff members and discussing the closure of branch offices associated with officials who do not support his position.
The insider further says that Mboya has been receiving advice from Justin Kamuye, described in the complaint as the First Assistant General Secretary and HR administrator, and claims that staff members have been threatened with termination while branch offices could be affected by the ongoing power struggle.
The complaint also says that Mboya is presenting the situation as a leadership vacuum despite the National Executive Board having already made a decision on who should occupy the Secretary General position.
Good Afternoon Nyakundi I would like to bring a grievance as a union member of KUDHEIHA following the demise of our secretary the late albert njeru on 29th August 2026 the union has been engulfed in leadership crisis brought about by our deputy secretary General who has appointed himself to the position of the acting secretary without the mutual consensus of the national executive board which is the supreme governing body of the union prior to funeral of our beloved secretary General albert njeru on 7th and 8th August 2026 the deputy secretary General mr.thomas mboya had been planning succession at COTU( K) in with the assistance of Mr.Baraza to takeover kudheiha workers without the consent of members and turning the union as a personal property and called for the N.E.B. meeting thinking that automatically that he will be appointed the SG KUDHEIHA workers.
Apparently members of the board appointed Mr.joseph Ndungu as the SG KUDHEIHA but behind the scenes Mr. Thomas mboya had plotted a hostile take over and wrote the registrar of trade unions thar the union hq offices had burned down and no official records which is very untrue which resulted to unlawful registration as the acting secretary General dated 30th August 2026 and registered on 9th September the very same the N.E.B. convened and appointed Mr. Joseph ndungu as the SG KUDHEIHA workers.
But from the reliable source Mr. Thomas mboya has been getting support from the SG COTU(k) who wants him to lead kudheiha but board members totally dislike him and not meant to kudheiha in the right direction as we speak their is a leadership statement going almost one week.
The board members have written to the acting sg to convene for board meeting he has refused and decided to communicate the same to staff members that his not willing to convene the meeting on 18th September 2026 today he wrote an email to all staff members of kudheiha threatening the board members not attend an extra ordinary meeting called for by The national chairman Mr.Douglas Kyallo on 19th September 2026 but Mr. Mboya has turned the union to his personal property and clinging to leadership unlawfully and not listening to the national board and instead listening to his advisers Mr. Justin kamuye the first assistant General secretary and hr administrator and threatening to terminate the contract of employment of staff of kudheiha workers union all over country and close down branch offices of their political rivals not tuning to their agenda.
He is purporting that their is leadership vacuum while members know there is vacant position to be filled of the SG KUDHEIHA workers which they do want for members to rightfully vote for their leaders of choice and bringing outsiders in to equation of KUDHEIHA Workers we members are disgruntled as we speak this the union has not been operational due to leadership wrangles brought about by the current deputy secretary General Mr.thomas mboya who wants to take the sg position by force and intimidation of national executive board members to vote for him which is not the case for now.
We want the union to continue under the rightful leadership of Mr.joseph ndungu who rightfully appointed by the N.E.B. on 9th September 2026 but the registrar of trade unions has been issued with threats from above not register Mr.joseph ndungu as the SG .
KUDHEIHA workers to fit the ethnic portfolio of the luhya community I therefore ask you to bring this matter to the union members and the public in general Na I.d. tupa kwa dust bin I will send you the correspondences of the above for your reference to understand the issue in deepth
KUDHEIHA has a broad mandate covering domestic workers, hotel workers, employees in educational institutions, hospital workers and allied employees. Its leadership therefore has a direct bearing on collective bargaining, workplace disputes, wages, employment security and representation of workers across the country.
The current dispute also comes only months after KUDHEIHA's own leadership had already experienced controversy. In May 2026, reports emerged of a dispute over the union's Secretary General election in which Albert Njeru Obed was declared the winner, while his challenger Tonge Yoya rejected the result and alleged that the election process had been compromised.
Njeru's subsequent death has now reopened the question of who should lead the union, but this time the battle is being fought through competing claims involving the National Executive Board, the Registrar of Trade Unions and senior union officials.