Sossion assures MPs union past won’t affect TSC independence

NAIROBI, Kenya Aug 20 – Former Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) secretary-general Wilson Sossion has sought to allay concerns over his nomination to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), telling MPs that his years of confronting the employer on behalf of teachers will not affect his ability to serve independently.

Sossion said his experience as a teachers’ union leader could instead strengthen the commission by giving it a deeper understanding of the challenges facing educators and the wider teaching service.

Appearing before the National Assembly Education Committee for vetting on Thursday, Sossion said his role would change from advocating for teachers to implementing policies and decisions made by the commission if his nomination is approved.

He said he would remain loyal to the institution while ensuring that teachers’ interests were protected through constructive engagement.

“I will defend the commission and I will do that which is necessary in terms of promoting constructive engagements with the social partners,” Sossion told the committee chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly.

He added: “I will commit myself to ensure that the commission is administered within the policies and within the decisions that are taken.”

Sossion was responding to concerns over his previous role as a leading critic of the TSC during his tenure at KNUT, where he pushed for better pay, improved working conditions and reforms in the teaching service.

He argued that his past advocacy should not be interpreted as opposition to the commission, saying many of the issues he fought for were ultimately aimed at strengthening the teaching profession and ensuring that the employer had the resources needed to serve teachers effectively.

Sossion cited his campaign in 2011 for the employment of teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, saying he engaged the National Treasury to secure funding for the programme.

According to Sossion, those efforts helped secure Sh2.4 billion and an additional Sh1.4 billion for annual teacher recruitment.

“I was not pulling down the commission, but I was building the commission,” he said.

He similarly defended his push for higher salaries, arguing that competitive remuneration was necessary to attract and retain motivated and ethical teachers capable of competing internationally.

Sossion said the salary negotiations he participated in were conducted between the government and teachers’ unions and resulted in agreements that benefited the teaching service.

He said his approach at TSC would therefore not be confrontational, insisting that there was no inherent conflict between the commission and teachers.

“I don’t think the commission is at war with teachers,” he said.

The nominee also pointed to examples of former trade union officials taking up senior government positions as evidence that union experience can be valuable in public administration.

He cited former Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) secretary-general Ouma Oluga, who later became a Principal Secretary, as an example of a union leader transitioning into government service.

Sossion also cited Ghana, where he said the head of the country’s teacher employer had previously served as secretary-general of a teachers’ trade union.

He said such transitions demonstrated that trade unionists could bring valuable professional gtand policy experience into government institutions.

Sossion served in KNUT’s national leadership for more than a decade. He was national chairman between 2011 and 2013 before serving as secretary-general for nearly eight years.

He resigned from the union leadership in 2021 before entering politics.

During his time at KNUT, Sossion was involved in several disputes with TSC and opposed a number of government education policies, including the delocalisation programme and teacher performance appraisal.

His union tenure was also marked by demands for better salaries and working conditions, with KNUT at various points threatening or calling strikes over grievances affecting teachers.

Melly questioned whether Sossion’s long history as an advocate for teachers could make it difficult for him to enforce TSC policies once appointed to the commission.

Sossion said he understood the distinction between his previous and prospective roles and would respect decisions made by the commission.

“At the employer side, it is implementing. So I will seek to continue implementing the policies that are agreed within the commission that benefit the teachers of Kenya,” he said.

“I am not going to be a disruptor within, you know, when you are the policy implementer.”

Pension backlog

Sossion also identified delayed payment of retirement benefits as an issue he would prioritise if appointed to the commission.

He told MPs that retired teachers continue to face lengthy delays in receiving their pensions, despite having completed the required processes before leaving public service.

He said TSC processes the relevant documents before they are forwarded to the pensions directorate and pledged to push for faster processing and payment.

“My concern and what I will do is to continue advocating for the director of pension to promptly release the pension to teachers,” he said.

Sossion also backed proposals to ensure that public servants leaving the government payroll are automatically transitioned to the pension payroll to minimise delays in accessing retirement benefits.

He said the country had made progress in reforming its pension system, including expanding coverage under the National Social Security Fund, but argued that such reforms would have little meaning if retirees continued waiting for their benefits.

“Teachers must be promptly paid their pension. It’s not a difficult thing,” he said.

Sossion was nominated alongside Antonina Lentoijoni for positions as TSC commissioners. Their nominations will be considered by Parliament after completion of the vetting process.