Strike looms as teachers plan protests over transfers

KNUT Secretary General and Nominated MP Wilson Sossion at a past press conference. [File, Standard]

Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has threatened to lead a teachers' strike starting September if the Government continues with delocalisation program.

Secretary General Wilson Sossion, while speaking in Migori on Sunday during KNUT 20th Annual General meeting, said the program was frustrating teachers.

“This is policy is meant to destroy the lives of teachers; to disintegrate their families. We continue to oppose this,” said Sossion.

He added: “Some of our colleagues have been separated from their families. Imagine a teacher being transferred from Migori County to Vihiga and his wife taken to Narok. How do you expect such a family to remain intact?”

Sossion on the other hand blamed the ministry of education for the ongoing wave of arson in schools.

He claimed delocalisation of teachers was one of the causes of the school unrest.

“Students involved in burning of their schools because the ministry does not want to listen and address their issues,” he said.

He called for change of leadership at the Kenya National Examination Council, after it claimed some students were torching schools to evade the forthcoming national examinations.

“Do you want to tell me the students of Maranda, Kisii School, Meru School, and Kisumu Girls fear exams yet they have always performed well? The students are worried that somebody up there is not listening especially when their teachers speak,”Sosion said.

On the proposal to introduce similar uniforms in all public schools, Mr Sossion said that the move is misinformed and merely meant to benefit a few people, who will be awarded the tenders to supply the uniforms to schools, like it is with text books.