Three held as Sossion rivals try to eject him from Knut House

Police have arrested at least three people following this morning's chaos at the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) headquarters in Nairobi.

The officers used teargas to disperse teachers outside Knut House as a section tried to kick out Secretary General Wilson Sossion.

Some members of Knut’s National Executive Council had forced their way into the offices to eject the embattled union boss.

The group plotting to topple Sossion — who has been struck off the register of teachers by the Teachers Service Commission — are relying on Knut’s constitution that states that union members must be registered teachers, certified, licensed or authorised to teach.

“Persons eligible for membership of the union shall be only those who are or have been regularly and normally engaged as a teacher,” reads the constitution.

It adds that one shall cease to be a member of the union if he/ she has been dismissed and his/ her certificate, licence or authority to teach has been cancelled by TSC. 

It is not clear if Sossion was in office at the time they stormed into the building.

The council members had insisted on holding their scheduled meeting despite being barred by the labour court yesterday.

This is after Sossion went to court to block the meeting arguing that the Knut officials who had called the meeting had no authority to do so.

“The respondents have no powers under the Knut constitution to convene and proceed with the National Executive Council meeting that has been postponed. The respondents are targeting the unconstitutional removal of the applicant,” his lawyer told the court.

Justice Byrum Ongaya suspended the meeting until a case filed by Sossion is heard and determined.

“It is hereby ordered that pending the inter partes hearing of the application, or further orders of the court, the meeting convened by the applicant stands postponed,” he ruled.