Kuppet Secretary General Akelo Misori (center) flanked by vice chairperson Julius Korir (right) and national treasurer Wicks Mwethi Njenga address the media in Nairobi on August 28, 2024.
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) has called a meeting of its highest decision-making organ for Sunday, September 1, to take stock of the first week of its strike amid a tough stance by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), which wants them to call off the boycott before any talks with the union.
The union’s National Governing Council (NGC) is scheduled for Sunday in Nairobi to review the effect of the strike and take a decision as to whether to further amplify or call it off.
“You are hereby invited to a National Governing Council meeting which will take place on Sunday, September 1, 2024, at Kasarani Sports View Hotel, Nairobi, starting at 9:00 am,” said Akelo Misori, Kuppet Secretary-General, in an invitation to all NGC members.
In the letter, he said the agenda of the meeting would be a review of week one of the strike. The branch officials, working closely with some National Executive Board (NEB) members, have threatened to turn the tables against the union’s top guns, should they call off the strike before the issues are resolved.
The national officials fear that during the annual delegates conference (ADC) set for December, the youthful grassroots officials might kick them out of office if they go by the government’s wishes to end the strike.
A majority of the top officials are said to be beyond the retirement age of 60 and are rooting to be retained to 65 under a new constitution that has been challenged.
“The NEB members are on their toes on the issues at hand and have since last week been careful not to go into the bad books of the officials from the branches and the teachers,” said an NGC member.
It seems that behind the scenes, political undercurrents have pitted the union’s top guns against their juniors, who have boxed them between a hard place and a brick wall with little or no place to breathe and wriggle out.
Education Cabinet secretary Julius Migos has called on Kuppet officials to call off the strike as the issues raised by the union have been addressed, a position also taken by TSC Chief Executive Nancy Macharia. The union is demanding the employment of 46,000 intern teachers on permanent and pensionable terms for Sh18.5 billion, the implementation of phase two of the 2025–29 collective bargaining agreement that will cost taxpayers Sh13.3 billion.
It also wants challenges facing comprehensive medical coverage. However, the government has offered Sh11 billion instead of Sh17 billion resolved.
The union also wants the promotion of 130,000 teachers who attended and passed interviews last year. The TSC said it had resolved the issues the teachers raised and extended four months of internship for the 46,000 teachers as it prepared to hire them on permanent and pensionable terms.
Charles Ngeno, Kuppet Narok branch executive secretary, said teachers were willing to continue with the nationwide strike with their resolve encouraged by support from various stakeholders, including the Central Organisation of Trade Unions.
“The 47 branch executive secretaries are unanimous that the strike should continue until all the issues we have raised are addressed by the TSC. There is no going back on our demands. We will soldier on,” he said. It is a position said to be favoured by a majority of the grassroots officials with the backing of teachers countrywide.
“I can assure you that the parents will join us this week if we do not call off the strike, as they want the assurance that their children, whom they have dispatched to school for the third and last term, are safe and are being taught in the institutions,” said Sabala Inyeni, Vihiga branch executive secretary.
Mr Misori said he did not have the power to call off the strike as that is the prerogative of NGC.
