NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 26 – One of the country’s dominant teacher’s union at one point, The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Saturday ushered in a new dawn, electing its national chairman, Collins Oyuu as the union’s new Secretary General.
Oyuu replaces long serving S.G Wilson Sossion, who on Friday resigned during a teary press conference, ending his 7 year tenure at the helm of KNUT.
The union’s new Secretary General was elected unopposed during Saturday’s election attended by its national delegates at the Ruaraka Grounds in Nairobi county.
His first term in office will now see him serve for a period of five years.
Top on his agenda, will be to restore members faith in the union and cultivate a better working relationship with the teacher’s employer, the Teachers Service Commission.
Oyuu is also expected to embark on restoring the union’s national glory by drumming up a vigorous campaign to increase its membership.
“This is a day teachers have looked for to have a total change in the leadership of this great union at the top.We must take a total departure from the arrogance and poor leadership, no single official in this union can lead single handedly.” Said Oyoo.
In the last three years, KNUT’s membership tremendously dropped from 187,000 to 16,000 teachers.
A protracted battle with TSC that saw hundreds of teachers denied promotion is said to have driven the mass exit.
Further, the teacher’s employer ’s failure to remit member’s union dues is for the first time said to have impeded KNUT from holding its annual delegates meeting last year.
Initially, Oyuu was set to battle it out for the union’s top job by facing off with Sossion on the ballot, before the latter decided otherwise, after realizing he would not meet the requisite delegate support.
“I trust that the government of Kenya, as I exit, because that there has been this argument that as long as Sossion stays the government will not release union dues. I’m making this passionate appeal that the government will find it necessary to allow union dues flow to KNUT so that the leadership and workers earn a salary,” said Sossion.
He added that, “I shall remain loyal to KNUT and always be available to advise and support the leadership.”
The former Tenuek High School teacher who is also a nominated member of parliament said he will now focus on his legislative duties to champion for the right of teachers.
During the national election, Hesbon Otieno (Deputy Secretary-General), Patrick Kariga (Chairperson), James Ndiku (National Treasurer) and Hussein Ali Abdi (Deputy National Treasurer), were elected to the respective positions unopposed.
At least 15 positions were being contested for.
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