Kuppet secures court order to proceed with national elections

Nairobi: National elections of Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) officials shall now proceed as planned after the union secured a court order giving green light to the exercise.

Three parties had moved to the Employment and Labour Relations court to challenge the date of the national elections scheduled for March 19.

A court order issued Wednesday reads: “the respondents shall proceed with elections scheduled on March 19. And that the national elections notice issued on January 13 by the respondent/union to the Commissioner of Labour is valid and was properly issued,” reads the court document dated March 9.

This means that Kuppet elections shall beat the June deadline set by the registrar of trade unions.

Kuppet Secretary General Akello Misori said the March elections shall also give the union adequate time to participate in the Central Organization Trade Union (Cotu) elections scheduled for May. Kuppet is an affiliate member of Cotu.

It also means that Kuppet shall now be able to effectively participate in salary talks with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

“We must hurry to complete elections in time because we may be locked out of the talks to the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA),” said Misori.

Information from Kuppet indicates that branch elections, which began in February 11, are almost complete with polls for Nairobi, Kwale, Lamu, and Tana River set for this weekend.

Further details show that most of the current national office bearers are likely to sail through unopposed, with only two slots being contested.

Laikipia County branch Executive Secretary, Ndungu Wangenye, has declared interest in the secretary general’s position currently held by Misori.

The position of vice national treasurer shall also be contested between the incumbent Ronald Tonui and Robert Nyabuto, former Narok County executive secretary.

Kuppet national leadership comprises 10 officials. Omboko Milemba who is the national chairman and his deputy Julius Korir have not been challenged in the coming polls.

Misori’s deputy Moses Nthurima has also not been opposed, which means that he shall easily sail through the election exercise.

Mwethi Njenga who currently holds the national treasurer’s position will also be unanimously elected as so far no one has come up to challenge him on that position.

Other positions not challenged are secretary gender, currently held by Catherine Wabilyanga, secretary tertiary held by Sammy Chelanga and the secretary secondary under Edward Obwocha.

Elections shall be held at Kasarani, Nairobi.

Misori said the four union trustees shall be elected in December during union’s Annual Delegate’s Conference.