A new row has emerged between the Teachers Service Commission and Kenya National Union Teachers (KNUT) after the teacher's employer went on to fire 166 teachers over the April chaotic scenes during the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) training.
In April, several teachers including headteachers and executive secretaries of KNUT from Kisii, Machakos, Makueni, Kilifi, Kwale, Kakamega, Vihiga and Bungoma counties missed out on CBC training following KNUT Secretary-General Wilson Sossion's calls to boycott the training.
Citizen TV reported that Sossion insisted that the government had not done sufficient sensitisation among the key education stakeholders and termed the training as “a violation of the law”.
Information from TSC reports that 42 teachers have been dismissed and 124 interdicted, out of 219 who face disciplinary actions.
The move has further escalated the already existing division between the two as TSC has also vowed to recover salaries it paid to KNUT members who were facing disciplinary actions over the CBC drama, as reported by The Standard.
"Salary overpayment will be followed up from you per the payroll records," on the letters reads.
Other 30 teachers have been issued with warning letters and are on the radar of the employer according to TSC Chief Executive Nancy Macharia. Five disciplinary cases have been deferred and one teacher recalled to face a disciplinary process.
Macharia added that 17 cases had been lifted.
TSC first sent a bunch of letters to the teachers on April 25, and were notified of their interdiction on May 3, 2019.
Another bunch was sent on August 15 and stated that the teachers were found guilty on two grounds of incitement and insubordination.
This new move by TSC comes at a time when KNUT is facing internal wrangles and court battles as senior officials face-off with Sossion over his leadership at the union.
