The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has distanced itself from a strike notice issued by the teachers' union on February 23.
During an interview on a local TV station on Tuesday, March 1, KUPPET Secretary General, Akelo Misori, clarified that the demands issued by the union during the press conference were taken out of context.
Misori stated that the seven-day strike notice was misunderstood insisting that KUPPET did not direct teachers to down their tools.
He explained that KUPPET was only looking for an avenue to engage with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) ahead of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations scheduled to begin on the second week of March.
"As teachers, we are parents. When we call for a strike, there are various channels that we follow. During the February 23 presser, we stated that if TSC failed to meet the demands as stated, we would call a National Governing Council (NGC) to give direction.
"As the SG, I am just a mouthpiece and I state what the members tell me to. The media misinterpreted the strike notice on their own," the SG stated.
Additionally, the SG criticised Education Cabinet Secretary, George Magoha, over his sentiments regarding the strike notice, adding that he should have sought clarification from the union.
The SG explained that the misunderstanding has seen teachers get backlash from members of the public over the decision to call a strike ahead of the national examinations.
"I think the problem was that the CS made statements based on what he had read from the media. He did not come to consult us over the same.
"If he was really concerned, he should have called me to clarify our stand. He is also playing politics with it so that the public can turn against us," Misori expressed.
On the other end, while inspecting the construction of Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) classes, Magoha assured candidates that the examinations would go on as scheduled.
"As the head of the sector, I have persuaded our colleagues to stop the strike but I want to say as a citizen that in my considered opinion, nobody except the President can stop these examinations.
"These teachers are parents. They are not administering exams for the government, they are administering it for themselves," the CS stated.
At the center of the tussle between TSC and the teachers are talks of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
