The 170,000 Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) members spread across 110 branches are set to go to the polls starting January 10, 2026, under a new constitutional order.
Branch officials will be required to resign their positions should they wish to contest any of the 11 national slots up for grabs, while for the first time, teachers in administrative positions will remain members and be allowed to vie for elective posts.
It will also be the first time that union officials from branch to national level who have attained the public service retirement age of 60 will be retained and allowed to serve up to 65 years.
Knut Secretary-General Wilson Sossion casts his vote on March, 4, 2016 during the union's elections at Safaricom indoor arena. Mr Sossion said the government must be ready to invest in teachers so that public learning can deliver quality education and have motivated teaches. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The Knut national election is expected to be held between April 1 and June 30, 2026, as directed by Acting Registrar of Trade Unions Ann Kanake, with successful candidates serving a five-year term from 2026 to 2031.
Branch elections will kick off on January 10 and conclude on March 7, 2026, according to Secretary General Collins Oyuu.
Ms Kanake also directed trade unions to conduct national elections between April 1 and June 30, 2026, in accordance with labour laws. Umbrella bodies such as the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have until August 30, 2026, to hold their elections in line with their respective constitutions.
The Registrar directed that secret ballots be used, with membership registers updated at least 60 days before elections. Trade unions must also notify the Registrar of Trade Unions, the Labour Commissioner and county labour offices at least 14 days before elections.
Knut’s 11 top positions up for grabs are Secretary General, National Chairman, Treasurer, Deputy Secretary General, Assistant Secretary General, First Vice National Chairman, Second Vice National Chairman, Deputy National Treasurer, First National Woman Representative and Second National Woman Representative.
Under the new Knut Constitution, officials seeking top union positions must first resign from their branch offices—a hurdle that could deter ambitious leaders. The same applies to national officials seeking different positions from those they currently hold.
If unsuccessful, candidates may seek re-election at branch level, a process that poses logistical and financial challenges.
Secretary-General Collins Oyuu is leading a re-election bid alongside his deputy Hezbon Otieno and National Chairman Patrick Karinga in what is expected to be their final term due to age limits.
Though not openly discussed, some officials are believed to have crossed the 60-year mark or are set to do so next year. The union constitution was amended in 2022, raising the retirement age from 60 to 65 and giving senior officials a lifeline.
In a circular issued on December 17, 2025, Mr Oyuu said branch elections will begin on January 10, 2026, with 12 branches—Makueni, Nzaui, Kyuso, Nyeri, Siaya, Bondo, Kipkelion, Bureti, Kericho, Kilindini, Mombasa and Kiambu East—voting on the same day.
The final batch of nine branches—Rarieda, Baringo, Machakos, Turkana, Lugari, Thika, Olkejuado, Kiambu West and Sotik—will vote on March 7.
By press time, no branch officials from the 47 counties had declared interest in challenging the current national leadership.
The union constitution requires branch officials to resign upon submitting nomination papers for national office.
First National Vice Chairman Malel Langat and Second National Vice Chairman Aggrey Namisi were the first officials elected under the new constitutional order, having resigned as Bomet and Bungoma South branch executive secretaries respectively.
Mr Langat also resigned as a National Executive Council member a month before the December 6, 2023 election, alongside Mr Namisi, as required by the rules.
Joseph Malel Langat, Knut's first National Vice Chairman.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation
Their election followed the deaths of former office holders Stanley Mutai and George Wesonga, who succumbed to cancer on July 6, 2023 and September 4, 2024 respectively.
Principals, deputy principals, head teachers, deputy head teachers and heads of department will now be free to vie for union positions following an agreement between the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and Knut under the revised 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Administrators had been set to lose union status by June next year under earlier TSC directives, but this was reversed following presidential intervention after a meeting with trade unions at State House.
At the 65th Annual General Conference in Nairobi on Wednesday, Mr Oyuu said a clause in the 2021–2025 CBA had excluded administrators from contesting, but the revised CBA now allows them to vie.
In the circular, Mr Oyuu directed branches to issue election notices at least 14 days in advance, specifying dates and venues, and to draw members’ attention to eligibility requirements under Article X(c)3.
Branches were also instructed to prepare ballot papers for all Branch Executive Committee positions and submit them to labour offices for stamping and custody. Ballot papers for Persons with Disabilities and women representatives will be printed at the head office.
Nominations will be conducted one day before elections at the polling venue, with candidates requiring a proposer and seconder who are fully paid-up members.
Mr Oyuu told Nation that he will defend his position, even as it remains unclear whether former Secretary General Wilson Sossion will contest after testing the waters two months ago.
Mr Sossion has said he would decide during the Christmas holidays, arguing he is eligible under Article 41 of the Constitution and remains a paid-up Knut member until June 2026.
Mr Oyuu dismissed the claim, saying Mr Sossion resigned as Secretary General in June 2021 and was deregistered by the TSC in 2018.
“Knut is a democratic union, but we will not open doors to non-members to interfere with our elections,” Mr Oyuu said.
The union has also retained its 110 branches, instead of collapsing them into 47 as earlier proposed.
In September, President William Ruto directed the TSC to fast-track implementation of the 2025–2029 CBA and review the Career Progression Guidelines, a key sticking point between the government and unions.
