By AUGUSTINE ODUOR
Teachers Service Commission ( TSC) has come up with measures to help end rivalry between two teachers’ unions.
Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) and Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) have recently engaged in a battle over members, which ended up in court.
TSC’s move comes after Kuppet lost a court case in which it had challenged the transfer of its 1,958 members to Knut.
Kuppet had sued Knut, TSC and its Secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni over what they termed irregular transfer of its members to the rival union.
However, Justice Stewart Madzayo, in his ruling, ordered all members in question be reverted to Knut and the teachers’ dues that were held by TSC in suspense account be paid.
Names for deductions
Knut Secretary General Okuta Osiany said the amount to be released to the union is Sh6 million. “The court has ruled. We want this money transferred immediately,” said Osiany.
Knut boasts of more than 200,000 members against Kuppet’s 47,000.
Lengoiboni on Tuesday said the current system where individual unions mobilise for membership and forward names for deductions must be revised.
“We want any teacher who wants to join a union to get endorsement from heads’ associations. We shall only accept forms that will have been endorsed by these officials,” he said.
He also said that each member will submit in writing a letter signed by the relevant officials stating when they wish to join or transfer from the unions and the dates from which they want their deductions made.
