New Knut boss pledges a ‘fresh and vibrant’ union

Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) yesterday elected a new secretary-general, ending Wilson Sossion’s troubled tenure.

Collins Oyuu, who was elected unopposed during the national polls, has promised to employ diplomacy and negotiations to revive the fortunes of the giant teachers’ union.

“The elections were led by Team Change versus Team Status Quo led by the former SG and I’m happy that my team has won....,” said Oyuu at the Ruaraka Sports Club in Nairobi where the polls took place.

And for a union conducting its national elections with no funds after it failed to get any remittance from members, it is perhaps no surprise that virtually all key national positions were unopposed.

Oyuu, 56, will serve for five years.

His deputy, Hesbon Otieno, who served under Sossion, retained his post. Patrick Karinga also retained his post as Knut national chair, while James Ndiku was elected the national treasurer after John Matiang’i opted out.

Karinga will be deputised by Ali Hussein.

Describing himself as a silent man who was eclipsed by Sossion, Oyuu recalled how he rose through the ranks.

He will, however, only serve for four years before reaching 60, the legal retirement age of public servants.

Oyuu, whose last posting as a teacher was at Ruma Primary School, joined union leadership in 1996 when he became a branch executive committee member in Siaya County.

Revamp KNUT

He was later elected the chair of Bondo branch in 2002 and later became the secretary of Rarieda branch in 2008. He joined the Knut National Steering Committee in 2013.

Oyuu was later elected as assistant secretary-general in 2015 and confirmed in 2016. He was elected as first vice national chair through a by-election in 2018 and he later became the union’s national acting chair.

His team is optimistic that they will revamp Knut to its once vibrant status.

He said his priority is returning the union to its former glory and full membership of at least 200,000 teachers.

This, he said, would lead to financial recovery. He said the union could collect at least Sh100 million in union dues per month.

“The union is a pale shadow of its former self,” he said. “The membership has dropped from over 200,000 to about 15,000, but I believe with proper structures, we shall bring back Knut to where it was.”

With Oyuu’s pledge of “scatter none and gather all” leadership style, teachers are hopeful that their concerns, including salary increment and delocalisation, will be addressed by the union and the employer.

“As much as the membership is low, all is not lost. We have initiated talks with the employer to deal with the issues ailing the union,” he said.

The unionists faulted Sossion for running down Knut due to lack of negotiation skills.