Former Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion has explained why he shed tears while tendering in his resignation.
In an interview with Daily Nation, Sossion revealed that he was moved to tears while recounting his journey from humble beginning to gaining national recognition.
He noted that he recalled how teachers from Bomet took a chance on him and elected him to a position in the famous teacher's union.
He observed that without their faith, he might still be working as a teacher in a school somewhere in Bomet.
"My tears started rolling and I was overwhelmed when I started mentioning the teachers of Bomet. Those were tears of love. Those tears were not meant for everybody.
"If those teachers did not elect me, I'm sure I might still be teaching in one of the schools in Bomet. If I was not picked to KNUT office, the teachers of Kenya wouldn't have seen me and given me a national platform," he stated.
In a teary exit message on June 25, Sossion stepped down as Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary-General a day before the union's elections set for Saturday, June 26.
He announced that he had bowed to pressure and demands by teachers. He held the press conference at Windsor Golf Hotel, Nairobi. His family and friends were present at the event.
"I bow out of KNUT as the Secretary-General. I shall remain loyal to KNUT and will always be available to advise and support the leadership of the union."
"As I exit, I hope the government will support teachers. I am making this appeal. I trust that the government will find it necessary to allow the union money to flow to the teachers," he stated.
Sossion had served as Secretary-General since 2016 and had already started plans for KNUT national elections.
In his sit-down with the publication, Sossion advised his successor, Collins Oyuu, to maintain a hard stance against the Teacher's Service Commission (TSC) in order to reap full benefits for its members.
He argued that if given a chance, the teachers' employer could keep lowering teachers' benefits and undo the development the union had achieved so far.
TSC invited the teachers' unions to a second round of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) deal talks on Tuesday, July 13, after the first round, talks fell through.
The first-round talks, on Tuesday, June 29, held at Safari Park hotel, Nairobi came to a dead end as both parties failed to reach an amicable agreement.
