Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary General, Collins Oyuu, is under pressure to step down, four months after he took over the union from nominated Member of Parliament, Wilson Sossion.
Teachers, who are pushing for his resignation, argued that Oyuu was against their interest and reportedly colluded with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to frustrate the tutors.
They also teamed up against Oyuu’s counterpart, Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Secretary General, Akelo Misori.
One of the contentious issues is the recently signed Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between TSC and the unions.
The 2021-2025 CBA signed in July 2021 is a non-monetary agreement that offers teachers an annual basic pay review and other benefits such as maternity extensions.
“We demand the immediate resignation of these leaders. They only represented primary teachers while signing the CBA yet the union should cover all tutors interests,” Kenya National Teachers Pressure Group spokesperson, Martha Omollo, stated.
The teachers also rejected the Teacher Professional Development (TPD), a program that will see teachers undertake refresher courses. TSC stipulated that the courses are mandatory for all practising tutors.
The commission added that the training will be done during school holidays, to avoid creating unnecessary confusion as the Ministry of Education grapples with the implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
However, teachers will pay for the costs which total Ksh6,000 per year.
Oyuu responded to the teachers’ grievances, urging them to have trust and belief in the union leaders who recently assumed office.
“Teachers should ignore propaganda and liaise with us to get correct information on the Teacher Professional Development (TPD) program. The TSC will issue guidelines,” Oyuu stated.
KUPPET’s Misori added that he would not heed resignation calls and would strive to defend the teachers’ interests.
