The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has begun its process of shutting down 110 offices countrywide due to financial constraints.
KNUT Secretary General, Wilson Sossion on Wednesday, November 11, faulted the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for failing to pay the union its dues.
Sossion tabled his sentiments in a letter directed to the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary, Simon Chelagui, urging him to intervene on the matter.
Education Cabinet Secretary Magoha, Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Security Matiangi and Secretary General of the Central Organization of Trade Unions Francis Atwoli also received copies of the letter.
Sossion stated that the union had been massively cut down as they reduced members to 34,312 from 187,471 in June 2019.
He admitted that these hindrances led to the ineffective operations within the union. Furthermore, he hinted at the possibility of the union to postpone its annual delegates conference for the second consecutive year.
He further pointed out that the union had received a paltry Ksh25 million payout from the government in October out of the Ksh80 million it was scheduled to receive.
"The annual budget for the ADC is approximately Ksh200 million, which the union saves over time. What can we do with Ksh25 million? It cannot even meet our payroll budget," stated Sossion.
"All these matters have remained unresolved to date and your office has gone quiet about it, whereas the TSC has continued to cripple the operations of Knut by attacking the check-off system, hence systematically and gradually diminishing the resources of the union,” read part of the letter.
There has been a constant conflict between the union and the commission over issues regarding policies and developments within the education sector. The commission fired the first shot when in November, 2019, it deregistered Sossion as a teacher.
However, a court ruling dismissed a petition filed against Sossion for holding the Secretary General position.
