Kuppet refutes claims it signed an agreement to merge with Knut

Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion. (Photo:File/Standard)

By Augustine Oduor

Nairobi, Kenya: The two teachers’ unions have clashed over a merger deal they signed early this year to bolster their bargaining power.

The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Wednesday disowned the merger agreement and accused the giant teachers’ union of “mischief and dishonesty”.

This emerged as Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) insisted that Kuppet, through its national chairman Omboko Milemba, committed itself to a merger brokered by Education International, a global union federation of teachers’ trade unions.

Copies of the “unity project” document signed by the two unions say: “The Kenyan programme resulting in a merger should be completed by May 31, 2014, as per the matrix activities.”

Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion purportedly signed the document dated January 27 on behalf of the union.

Unity talks

Kuppet Secretary General Akelo Misori said the union will never merge with Knut but indicated that they welcome unity talks although each union should retain its identity.

“If it is about forming a federation, then we can talk as we shall maintain our distinct identities. We ask our members to be steadfast and watch out for people out to divide them,” said Misori.

Related documents indicate that the individual unions should have started sensitisation talks for the unions’ top leadership as the first phase towards a merger.

The document dubbed “unity matrix” says the main objective of the first phase is for the top union officials to “accept and own the merger process.” The expected outcome was agreed to be “sanctioning the merger process.”

Knut Wednesday said they have started the process as per the agreement and produced minutes to that effect dated February 3 this year.

The union leadership also indicated that the agreement was to result into a merger and not a ‘federation.’

Doublespeak

Sossion said the union is prepared to enter into the next phase of the process, but expressed concern that Kuppet may not have not even started implementing the he agreement.

“We are doing this not because of selfish interests but because a new report has indicated that the education sector has lagged behind because of squabbles between the two teachers unions,” said Sossion.

Misori Wednesday accused Knut leadership of doublespeak. “They talk of a merger on one hand and on the other hand talk of another trade centre. So who is being honest?” said Misori.

“There is no merger and we shall not merge with Knut,” he said.

According to the merger matrix document, the second phase would entail sensitisation of branch executives to own the merger process in the. This phase, according to the documents, should last one month.

The third phase as per the agreement is for the two unions to outline the merger modalities.

Here, the National Executive Councils (NEC) of each union is expected to come up with resolutions supporting the merger as well as a framework on the same. This phase was expected to take between two months and be concluded by March.

The last phase of the merger requires both unions to call a special delegates conference to ratify the resolutions of the merger.