Kuppet accuses Knut of violating rights of 10,250 teachers

By  Lynet Igadwah

Senior Reporter

Nation Media Group

The scramble for the representation of junior school teachers has taken a new twist, with the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) accusing its rival, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), of violating the rights of teachers seeking to switch unions.

Kuppet says Knut is refusing to release 10,250 teachers who were deployed from primary to junior school and have formally applied to leave the union, locking them out of representation by the post-primary teachers' union.

Over the past three years, the government has deployed more than 20,000 teachers from primary schools to junior school under the competency-based education (CBE) to address a staffing shortage.

Kuppet Secretary-General Akelo Misori said the deployment had effectively moved the affected teachers into the post-primary education sector, yet they continued to be represented by a union whose recognition agreement covers primary school teachers.

“It is illegal to have a union cling to members who have expressed the intention to be in another union,” Mr Misori said.

Kuppet is demanding the immediate release of the teachers from Knut's register, arguing that their freedom to join a union of their choice should be respected.

The dispute comes as deployed junior school teachers raise concerns over their employment terms, career progression, transfers and administrative recognition, saying the transition has left them caught between the two unions.

Mr Misori said the teachers' deployment letters explicitly appointed them as secondary school teachers, but their employment conditions had not been aligned with those of their counterparts in the post-primary sector.

“By virtue of this deployment, the teachers transition from being primary school teachers to the post-primary sector because the curriculum they are now handling is a post-primary curriculum,” he said.

He added that some teachers had already joined Kuppet, while others remained unable to do so because Knut had declined to release them.

Kuppet argues that its recognition agreement with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) covers post-primary teachers, while Knut's agreement, signed on November 25, 2019, limits its representation to primary school teachers.

The union wants the TSC to expedite the transition and ensure the teachers enjoy the terms and conditions of service applicable to secondary school teachers.

Protas Kanake, who represents deployed Junior School teachers, said the group faced challenges ranging from employment conditions and administrative recognition to compensation and career progression.

Experienced teachers who previously served as acting head teachers or deputy head teachers have seen their seniority diminished under the new deployment arrangements, he said.

“There is currently no formal provision for the professional progression of junior school teachers,” Mr Kanake said, adding that the affected teachers wanted their experience recognised rather than being treated as new entrants into the profession.

The teachers also want the TSC to review its transfer policy, which requires them to find a counterpart with a similar subject specialisation before they can swap stations.

Mr Kanake said the policy had made it difficult for teachers deployed far from their homes to reunite with their families.

He argued that since junior school teachers are required to handle a broad range of subjects under the CBE, the employer should allow transfers based on their university specialisations rather than requiring a matching subject teacher.

The group says the restrictions have compounded the hardship of teachers deployed in 2023 and redeployed in 2024, many of whom remain separated from their families.

Mr Misori termed the transfer restrictions discriminatory, saying some teachers had been deployed to stations based on the demand for particular subject areas and could not easily secure transfers.

Kuppet chairman Amboko Milemba called on the Ministry of Education and Parliament to grant junior school teachers greater autonomy and recognition, saying the current arrangements had left them disadvantaged.

Mr Milemba said he would push for amendments to the education laws to provide for the autonomy of junior schools and recognise the status of deployed teachers.

“I'll be moving several amendments on that particular Bill to include autonomy of the Junior School and deployed teachers into the force so that they can act freely. The truth is that these are a forgotten group of teachers,” he said.

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