Why Kuppet members of the government are being criticized.
Officials at the national level of Kuppet are coming under more and more pressure after ending the teachers’ strike without following the rules.
Some Kuppet officials want to fire some top leaders who stopped the teachers’ strike without getting permission from the National Governing Council.
The NGC is the union’s highest decision-making body. Its job is to make final, binding choices about whether Kuppet members should go on strike or not.
There are also worries that teachers did not get a fair deal in the deal they signed with the Teachers Service Commission, even though they went on strike for a week.
For example, Kuppet did not get a firm promise from TSC to promote 130,000 teachers; the commission said that would happen “as and when funds are made available by Parliament.”
People say that members of the national government, led by Akelo Misori, broke the Kuppet Constitution when they called off the strike before the NGC could meet.
Some union leaders say that the National Executive Board (NEB) doesn’t have the power to stop a strike, but Akelo led the meeting with TSC officials that worked out the deal to end the strike.
He has, however, defended his choice to end the teachers’ strike by saying that most of the problems Kuppet wanted TSC to address have been met.
He also said that as union head, he had to make decisions that were best for teachers, even though he agreed with TSC on Kuppet’s demands.
Misori said, “As the spokesperson and secretary general of Kuppet, I had to show leadership at this time. You don’t expect me to turn off my phone and run away when my leadership is needed.”
Article 22(b) of the Kuppet Constitution says that the NGC is the only group that can start or stop a strike.
Part (c) of the Article says, “If the NGC sets the order for a strike or sit-in, no one shall call off the strike without the proper authorization from the NGC.”
People who are against Misori are using this story to support their claim that the strike was illegally called off before the NEB asked the NGC for its opinion.
Kuppet’s top decision-making body is made up of the NGC, which is made up of the 10 members of the National Executive Board and all 47 branch managers.
At its meeting on Sunday, the NGC said that the strike that began on August 26 would go on until all of Kuppet’s requests were met by TSC.
The group decided that if quick fixes or changes were needed to the teachers’ requests while NEB was negotiating with TSC, Misori would call a virtual meeting right away to talk about it the matter.
But when Misori and the other members of the NEB made a deal with TSC on Monday, they called off the strike without first getting permission from the NGC, which is what the Kuppet Constitution says they should do.
When the meeting was going on at the TSC offices, Kuppet Secretary for Secondary School Education Edward Obwocha stormed out, telling the other officials that they needed to go back to the NGC before they would sign the deal.
It has now come to light that top Kuppet officials are walking a fine line as branch executive secretaries talk about ways to fire them for supposedly breaking the union’s Constitution.
Kisii Kuppet branch secretary Joseph Mogire said NEB betrayed union members and branch officials by calling off the strike without seeking authorisation as required by the union’s constitution.
“Who gave the secretary-general the mandate to call off the strike without referring the matter to the National Governing Council? This is a total betrayal of our members who gave their hearts to the cause,’’ he said.
“The NEB mishandled the strike and that office has been having issues with delegates. They are a total let down to the teachers of this country because they gave room for union members to be manipulated by the employer,” said Vihiga branch secretary Sabala Inyeni.
Homa Bay Kuppet chairperson Jack Okoth questioned how the strike was called off on Monday without reference to the NGC.
“The suspension of the strike caught us off-guard at a time when we had obtained police permits to hold protests in Homa Bay County,” he said.
West Pokot Kuppet Secretary Alfred Kamuto warned that NEB should be ousted for contravening the constitution.
“We don’t agree with the NEB. They rushed and we don’t know why. They must agree with all county executives. It is their own decision,’’ he said.
In Tana River, Kuppet branch secretary Omondi Oluoch expressed his disappointment stating that the union’s top officials had “poured cold water on our faces and trivialised a serious issue”.
“The strike was about the battle for the soul and dignity of the teaching profession, a fight to restore its lost glory. It took courage, sacrifice, commitment and hope for a better, more dignified workplace, yet the NEB has betrayed us,” he said.
Why Kuppet members of the government are being criticized.
