- Branch executives argue that the national officials contravened the constitution by suspending the strike without the authority of the National Governing Council.
- The claims of betrayal have put national officials led by Secretary-General Akelo Misori on a tight spot.
Image: FILE
National officials of Kuppet are under increasing pressure after calling off the teachers' strike without allegedly following laid-down protocols.
Some Kuppet officials are planning to kick out some top leaders who decided to suspend the teachers’ strike without seeking the authority of the National Governing Council.
The NGC is the union’s top decision-making organ mandated to make final and binding decisions on calling for a work boycott or suspending any strike by Kuppet members.
There are also concerns that teachers got a raw deal in the agreement signed with the Teachers Service Commission despite a week-long industrial action.
Kuppet for instance did not get concrete commitment from TSC on the promotions for 130,000 teachers with the commission saying that will happen "as and when funds are made available by Parliament".
National officials led by the Union’s Secretary General Akelo Misori are being accused of going against the Kuppet Constitution by unilaterally calling off the strike before the NGC could sit.
Akelo led the National Executive Board for the meeting with TSC officials which hammered the deal to call off the strike, but some union leaders argue that NEB has no authority to suspend a strike.
However, Misori has defended his decision to call off the teachers' strike saying most of the issues that Kuppet wanted TSC to address have been met.
He also insisted that, as the leader of the union, he needed to decide for the best interest of teachers after agreeing with TSC on the demands Kuppet raised.
“As the spokesperson and secretary general of Kuppet, I needed to demonstrate leadership at a time like this, you do not expect me to switch off my phone and run away when my leadership is needed,’’ Misori said.
Article 22(b) of the Kuppet Constitution states that only the NGC has the authority to start or end industrial action.
“In the event of a strike or sit-in being called with instruction of the NGC, no one shall call off the strike unless dully authorised by the NGC," part (c) of the Article reads.
It is this article that Misori’s critics are citing to advance their argument that the strike was illegally called off before the NGC’s input was sought by the NEB.
The 10 members of the National Executive Board sit in the NGC alongside all branch secretaries from the 47 counties to constitute Kuppet’s supreme decision-making organ.
The NGC had on Sunday held its meeting and announced that the strike, which started on August 26, should continue until all the demands by Kuppet are met by TSC.
The organ resolved that in case there were needed quick-fix solutions or changes to the teachers’ demands during NEB’s negotiations with TSC, then Misori would immediately convene a virtual meeting to deliberate on the matter.
However, when Misori and his NEB members struck a deal with TSC on Monday, they announced the calling off of the strike without seeking the authority of the NGC as required under the Kuppet Constitution.
During the meeting at the TSC headquarters, Kuppet Secretary for Secondary School Education Edward Obwocha stormed out of the meeting insisting that the officials needed to revert to the NGC before a deal would be signed.
It has now emerged that top Kuppet officials are walking a tightrope with branch executive secretaries mooting a process to kick them from office for allegedly contravening the union’s Constitution.
Kisii Kuppet branch secretary Joseph Mogire said NEB betrayed union members and branch officials by calling off the strike without seeking authorisation as required by the union’s constitution.
“Who gave the secretary-general the mandate to call off the strike without referring the matter to the National Governing Council? This is a total betrayal of our members who gave their hearts to the cause,’’ he said.
“The NEB mishandled the strike and that office has been having issues with delegates. They are a total let down to the teachers of this country because they gave room for union members to be manipulated by the employer," said Vihiga branch secretary Sabala Inyeni.
Homa Bay Kuppet chairperson Jack Okoth questioned how the strike was called off on Monday without reference to the NGC.
“The suspension of the strike caught us off-guard at a time when we had obtained police permits to hold protests in Homa Bay County," he said.
West Pokot Kuppet Secretary Alfred Kamuto warned that NEB should be ousted for contravening the constitution.
“We don’t agree with the NEB. They rushed and we don’t know why. They must agree with all county executives. It is their own decision,’’ he said.
In Tana River, Kuppet branch secretary Omondi Oluoch expressed his disappointment stating that the union’s top officials had “poured cold water on our faces and trivialised a serious issue".
“The strike was about the battle for the soul and dignity of the teaching profession, a fight to restore its lost glory. It took courage, sacrifice, commitment and hope for a better, more dignified workplace, yet the NEB has betrayed us," he said.