The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) will hold national elections on Saturday, with Secretary General Akello Misori leading a charge by the incumbents for re-election.
Former Bomet Central Member of Parliament Ronald Tonui has been locked out of the election as he sought to dislodge Mr Misori from the top union position.
Mr Tonui declared two months ago that he was gunning for the Secretary General’s position and kicked off campaigns, but his name was not in the list of candidates cleared for the contest.
As of Friday, those who did not have opponents were – Mr Misori, National Treasurer Mwethi Njenga, Organising Secretary Paul Maingi and Deputy Secretary General Moses Nthurima.
National Chairman and Emuhuya Member of Parliament Omboko Milemba will fight it out with Ms Christine Agutu, a teacher at Lamu Girls’ High school, while Vice Chairman Julius Korir will face off with Mr Hassan Aden.
Bungoma Woman Representative Catherine Wambilianga is facing a challenge from Ms Julieth Kimotho, while the Secretary for Tertiary Institutions Sammy Chelanga will fight it out with Ms Peril Kimutai.
Mr Edward Obwocha, the secretary for secondary schools, is being challenged by Ms Hellen Gathoni, while Ms Mary Rotich, the Kericho branch secretary, will face off with Ms Lynette Kamadi, the Mombasa branch executive secretary, for the national assistant treasurer position.
“We are all set for the election to be held on Saturday with the Ministry of Labour presiding over it. The candidates have been cleared as provided for in the Kuppet Constitution,” Mr Misori said.
The same position was shared by the National Chairman, Omboko Milemba, who said all was set for the poll.
“The national elections will be free, fair and democratic. The delegates will pick their preferred candidates for the various positions without undue interference,” Mr Milemba said.
Mr Tonui was not available for a comment for this story, but he is understood to have confirmed to his supporters that he had been locked out of the election to be held on Saturday.
“Unfortunately, in this case, we have the union officials as referees in a contest they are involved in. We do not expect to have a free and fair poll if those we are seeking to oppose are the ones vetting and clearing candidates,” Mr Tonui told journalists in Bomet town last month.
Mr Tonui was ousted as the national assistant treasurer in circumstances that were contested in court, following a fallout with fellow top officials after he accused them of bungling the negotiations for improved terms of service with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) in 2023.
The former MP said the teachers were shortchanged after the Kuppet officials hurriedly signed a deal that was negotiated by the Kenya Union of Special Needs Teachers (Kusnet) and did not favour the union (Kuppet) members.
Recently, KUPPET changed its constitution to allow officials to hold office up to 65 years, from 60 years, while branch officials must resign their positions so as to contest the national ones.
“To buttress gender equity and equal opportunities without any form of discrimination on the basis of inter alia; sex, race, tribe, age or religion,” the constitutional amendments that altered the age limit read.
In the union corridors, it is claimed that some of the national officials have crossed the 65-year age limit and are hanging on to the positions due to the influence they wield.
“The union constitution has repeatedly been flouted to remove branch and national officials, to bar candidates from contesting the various positions up for grabs with the increasing of registration fees meant to lock out the majority of the popular teachers with less financial muscle compared with those in office,” Mr Tonui said recently.
He further claimed, “Sadly, we have officials whose age is beyond the retirement limit and have even overshot the 65 years mark, yet they continue to hide from protection from fellow top officials and by various government agencies hiding their real identity and registration documents.”
In the new KUPPET constitution, five additional national positions have been created –First Assistant National Gender Secretary, Second Assistant National Gender Secretary, Third Assistant National Gender Secretary and Assistant National Secretary Junior Secondary and Regional Councils.
At the same time, nine new positions of trustees have been created in the new constitutional order - eight of whom shall be elected by the Delegates Conference and the ninth to be occupied by the founder Secretary General until the occupant is rendered ineligible.
The Constitution of the union states that the National Executive Board (NEB) shall comprise 14 elected national officials that shall reflect regional, people with disabilities, gender balance and Junior Secondary representation.
Candidates seeking the position of Secretary General, National Chairman, National Treasurer will now pay Sh 500,000 registration fees, while positions of Deputy Secretary General, National Vice Chairman, National Organising Secretary, National Gender Secretary, National Secretary Secondary, National Secretary Treasury and Assistant National Treasurer attract Sh 300,000.
The branch executive secretary, chairman, vice chairman, assistant secretary, organising secretary, gender secretary, secretary secondary and secretary tertiary paid Sh 50,000 to contest the positions.
