Kenya National Union of Teachers resists devolution of education in referendum

Kenya: Kenya National Union of Teachers (knut) has declared that it neither supports referendum calls being fronted by the Council of Governors nor by Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD).

Speaking at Taita Towett Secondary school in Kericho County during Kipkelion Knut branch annual general meeting, KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion said the union would stiffly resist devolution of education.

"Any referendum bill that talks about touching some quarters, segments or even inch of education whether it comes from governors, Coalition for Reforms and Democracy or Jubilee government, would be fought by teachers to the last man," he said.

The Knut secretary general at the same time gave the government a ten day notice to honour a return-to-work formula it signed with teachers last year including an increase in allowances lest risk serious industrial action.

"If by thirtieth of this month the government will not have tabled a proper proposal, I will issue a seven day strike notice. Our lawyers have drafted the strike notice and it is just waiting the appending of my signature. We will not be intimidated that it will be around examination time, teachers will go on strike even in the middle of exams time," he said.

Sossion also said they were steadily moving on with the unity campaign of teachers in the education sector. He revealed that talks with Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) were at an advanced level in developing the logistics of establishing a single union.

"We are moving fast with a movement of collapsing unions within the education sector without disadvantaging any union so that when we speak, we speak in one voice. Those who are resisting the moves we know who they belong to and why they are resisting," he said.

Sossion at the same time Teachers Service Commission must be left to remain independent.

"The government should stop tampering with Teachers Service Commission because we going to use all resources and efforts to protect it even if means going to court or calling for teachers' strike," he said.

Sossion also accused the ministry of education of filling the positions of country directors of education without advertising the vacancies and demanded that all the 47 country directors of education must be vetted afresh.

"The ministry of education must advertise for the positions of county directors of education because the vacancies were never advertised and therefore we have the wrong people in the office across the country," said Sossion.