KUPPET officials from Embu County have raised concerns over alleged mismanagement of union funds, poor representation, and failure of leadership to address members’ issues.
The officials, led by one of the members, claimed that the current leadership had failed to effectively engage and serve union members for the past three years. They cited a lack of participatory governance and failure to take action on issues affecting teachers as the main challenges facing members.
The member also accused the current leadership of overstaying in office, saying it had failed to provide solutions to teachers’ problems during its tenure. He questioned the credibility of the leadership, noting that key union processes had not been followed.
“We have had no AGM for the past three years, and there has been no explanation as to why it has not been held. In Embu County, we have experienced poor health services, and there is a lack of accountability of the BBF funds, which are highly misused by those in office,” he stated .
Another teacher raised concerns over the management of the Branch Benevolent Fund (BBF), stating that KUPPET receives more than KSh800,000 per month for welfare. He alleged that the funds had not been accounted for since 2024.
“KUPPET receives more than Ksh800,000 every month for BBF welfare, and this money has not been accounted for since 2024. If you multiply that amount by the number of months and years, that is a lot of money that teachers need explained,” the teacher stated.
Meanwhile, in Kilifi County, teachers raised concerns over the upcoming KUPPET branch elections scheduled for early February, accusing officials of frustrating aspirants by failing to open union offices for the submission of nomination papers.
According to the teachers, the chairperson of the KUPPET Kilifi branch was allegedly planning to lock out opponents from the elections by denying them access to the offices during the nomination period.
Some teachers said they were considering taking their applications directly to the union’s national offices in Nairobi if the situation persisted.
“I have been here all day together with my colleagues and supporters who wanted to witness me delivering my nomination papers because the cut-off date is the 9th. We have been here from 8 am up to now 6:30 pm, and the KUPPET Kilifi offices were not open, so we do not know what is going on,” one aspirant said.
The aspirant added that the situation raised concerns that the closure could be a tactic to influence who is allowed to contest in the elections.
Another female aspirant said teachers had sought permission from their schools to submit their nomination papers, but were inconvenienced by the office closure.
“Some of us asked for permission to be away from school to submit these papers. In my case, I have been here since morning, and up to now, almost 7 pm, the offices have not been opened for the whole day,” she said.
A male teacher aspirant expressed concern over the lack of communication from the branch leadership, particularly the Executive Secretary.
“What is astonishing is the fact that our Executive Secretary, Mr Mogere, has not issued any statement that the offices would not be open today. It is a shame because we do not expect the office that is supposed to defend teachers’ rights to be the same one inconveniencing teachers,” he said.
Teachers from both Embu and Kilifi counties called for transparency, accountability, and adherence to union procedures, saying the issues raised were affecting trust in the union and undermining members’ welfare.
