Reprieve for Sossion as court rules he’s the Knut boss
Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary General Wilson Sossion (right), accompanied by other officials and youth, leave Milimani Law Courts on May 10, 2018 after a judge ruled he is still the union's secretary general. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Mr Sossion and his camp tried unsuccessfully to access the Knut headquarters on Mfang’ano Street in Nairobi.
- Knut applied for a notice of change of officers on May 2, after holding a special National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
Embattled Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Secretary General Wilson Sossion is still the boss.
Justice Maureen Onyango of the Employment and Labour Relations Court on Thursday said there was no evidence that the changes removing Mr Sossion from the helm of the union were effected before she made orders barring his removal.
Consequently, the judge extended the orders stopping the ejection of Mr Sossion from office.
Immediately after the ruling, Mr Sossion and his camp tried unsuccessfully to access the Knut headquarters on Mfang’ano Street in Nairobi.
HESBON OTIENO
Police had to lob tear-gas canisters as rival groups clashed.
Earlier, Mr Sossion, through lawyer Jackson Awele, told the court that those opposed to his leadership had disregarded the orders and purported to suspend him.
Mr Awele said that some officials had already removed Mr Sossion as a signatory to bank accounts and denied him access to his office at Knut House.
The Registrar of Trade Unions, Ms Elizabeth Gicheha, and acting Knut Secretary-General Hesbon Otieno, had told the court that Mr Sossion, who is also a Nominated MP, had already been de-registered when they were served with the order.
NEC MEETING
Ms Gicheha said the union, through acting chairman Wycliffe Omucheyi, applied for a notice of change of officers on May 2, after holding a special National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
She said the NEC suspended Mr Sossion from office pending disciplinary action.
“The application for change of officials was accompanied by a duly filled and signed Form Q dated April 30, notice of special NEC meeting, the duly signed and confirmed minutes of the meeting and a list of attendance,” she said.
The order she received prohibited the suspension, but it did not stop what had already been done.
She also said that she was yet to receive any complaint from Mr Sossion.
Mr Otieno maintained that Mr Sossion was not authorised to speak on behalf of Knut, and could not purport to join the union in the case.
Justice Onyango directed the parties to appear before her on May 28.
