Kapsabet:The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) officials in Nandi County have expressed strong opposition to the transfer of Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers from KNUT to the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET). They have labeled this move as an effort to weaken the influential teachers’ union.
According to Kenya News Agency, the officials have accused the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) of reassigning teachers without prior consultation. Among those affected are long-serving KNUT officials who have significantly contributed to the union’s development.
Josphat Serem, KNUT Nandi North secretary, voiced the union’s dissatisfaction with what he termed as poaching of dedicated members who have been with KNUT since its inception. He emphasized that the affected teachers played a crucial role in building KNUT into a major force and questioned the rationale behind their transfer without consent.
Stephen Misoi, KNUT Nandi South secretary, added that the sudden transfers have caused concern among KNUT members, as they fear it could undermine the union’s membership and its ability to advocate for teachers’ rights. Misoi highlighted KNUT’s historical role in securing benefits for teachers and warned that weakening the union could have broader implications.
The union officials reported that approximately 10,000 teachers have been moved from KNUT to KUPPET nationwide. Boniface Tenai, KNUT secretary for Tindiret and Nandi East, argued that teachers deployed to JSS should not be removed from KNUT solely due to their new assignments. He urged the Ministry of Education to intervene and address what he described as interference by TSC.
KNUT leaders are awaiting further directives from their national office while continuing to seek resolutions to protect their membership and ensure the union’s continued strength. The situation arises amid ongoing discussions about appropriate union representation for teachers in the newly established JSS framework.
