Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers Secretary-General Akello Misori (center), national chairman Omboko Milemba (right) and national organizing secretary Paul Maingi during a media briefing on September 06, 2024.
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) is set to hold a crucial National Governing Council (NGC) meeting on Friday, the first since the controversial suspension of the teachers strike.
The agenda of the meeting is not specified, adding anxiety among members. The internal communication has been sent by the secretary-general of the union, Akelo Misori.
NGC is Kuppet's highest decision-making body comprising 73 members, including branch executive secretaries, national executive board (NEB) members, and women nominees.
The upcoming meeting follows the controversial suspension of a one-week teachers' strike, which had been gaining momentum across the country before being called off.
Mr Misori was criticised by some branch officials and teachers for halting the strike. A petition from some union members has demanded accountability for how the strike was managed and suggested disciplinary action against certain officials.
In the internal communication, Mr Misori acknowledged issues with 19 branch officials and NEB members, but dismissed rumours that the petition targets these officials specifically.
He emphasised that the petition, received during a previous meeting, would be addressed in the upcoming session.
“I wish to debunk the baseless rumours flying here concerning the petition that the NEB received yesterday (Tuesday) from some branch officials. The petition came in the middle of our meeting, and thus could only be an AOB (Any Other Business) yesterday,” Mr Misori stated.
He stated in the communication to NGC members in an addendum to the invite to the Friday session that, “we will open and deal with it appropriately at the next meeting”.
“Having had the privilege of reading the petition, I can state in confidence that it calls for disciplinary action for alleged gross misconduct by some union officials in accordance with our constitution,” Mr Misori stated.
The letter further states that the petition does not demand sanction against union leaders whether at the national or branch level for their democratic expressions.
“The notion that it (petition) targets some 19 branch officials is plain delusion. No amount of padding will turn the fringe clique, whose hateful and unethical activities the petition highlights into anything new 19 Governing National Council members,” Mr Misori stated on the fall out between union officials.
Mr Misori noted that the delay in holding the NGC was occasioned by the processing of other important union business setting the agenda for the Friday meeting.
“The recent Kuppet strike opened a genuine rift in our members’ understanding of industrial action and negotiation. I promised to expeditiously convene the NGC to pour over the NEB decision to suspend the strike and plan ahead,” Mr Misori stated.
Members of NEB were accused by branch officials and teachers of bypassing the NGC in making the decision to call off the strike on September 2, a day after the top decision making organ voted to continue with the industrial action that was entering the second week.
It did not help matters that the issues the officials agreed to are the same that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) had offered a week earlier, and which the sister union – Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) grabbed on August 25, 2024.
'What was the reason for subjecting the NGC to endorse continuation of the strike when it was going to end the way it has ended? This is not only anti-climax but a betrayal of the teachers' course' a NEB member who declined to be named wondered.
Dr Nancy Macharia, the TSC Chief Executive Officer signed the agreement calling off the strike on behalf of the commission while Mr Misori (Kuppet Secretary General) and Mr Julius Korir (the vice chairman) signed for the union.
From the tough talking unionists, Mr Misori and his team appeared subdued as they complied with the commission’s position taking turns with Dr Macharia to address journalists stating that the high court orders demanded that they call off the strike – a position maintained by the commission for a week.
Reports indicate that Kuppet faced significant pressure from the government to call of the strike, with TSC withholding funds by suspending member contributions totaling millions of shillings, thus crippling its operations.
Kuppet and Knut were demanding the employment of 46,000 intern teachers on permanent and pensionable terms at a cost of Sh18.5 billion, implementation of phase two of the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that will cost the government Sh13.3 billion.
They demanded that TSC promote 130,000 teachers who attended and passed promotion interviews last year, and also wanted the challenges facing comprehensive medical cover which the government has availed Sh11 billion instead of Sh17 billion, addressed.
“The government has successfully implemented all the provisions of 2021-2025 CBA with the teacher unions. Specifically, the second phase of the CBA, which was due on July 1, 2024, was duly paid in August 2024 together with arrears” Dr Nancy Macharia, the TSC CEO stated.
TSC stated that it had promoted 51,232 teachers under competitive promotions and that it shall continue to effect promotions when budgetary allocations are availed by parliament.
The parties did not agree on the transiting of 46,000 intern teachers to permanent and pensionable terms and employment of 20,000 teachers, but went on to sign the return to work formula which was later deposited in court.
“The commission held the position that with the contracts having expired, the teachers had been offered an extension for four months within which the government would regularize their employment” A source who attended the negotiations stated.
Cabinet Secretaries – John Mbadi (Treasury), Julius Ogamba (Education), Dr Ezekiel Mutua (Labour) and Dr Macharia (TSC) have been sending mixed signals on the availability of Sh18.5 billion for employment of the teachers.
