KUPPET Accuses KNUT of Blocking 10,250 Teachers Seeking to Change Union Membership
A fresh dispute has emerged between Kenya’s two major teachers’ unions after the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) accused the Kenya National Union of Teachers KNUT of preventing 10,250 teachers from changing their union membership.
A fresh dispute has emerged between Kenya’s two major teachers’ unions after the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) accused the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) of preventing 10,250 teachers from changing their union membership.
KUPPET claims the affected teachers, who were transferred from primary schools to junior schools, have formally expressed their intention to leave KNUT but have not been released from its membership register.
The union argues that the teachers should be allowed to join an organisation that represents their current professional responsibilities, following their deployment to teach at the junior school level under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.
KUPPET Secretary-General Akelo Misori said it was unfair for KNUT to retain members who had already indicated their desire to affiliate with another union.
“It is illegal to have a union cling to members who have expressed the intention to be in another union,” Misori said.
The dispute follows the government’s deployment of more than 20,000 teachers from primary schools to junior schools over the past three years to address staffing shortages during the implementation of the new education curriculum.
Misori maintains that the affected teachers have effectively transitioned into the post-primary education sector because their deployment letters identify them as secondary school teachers.
He further argues that KUPPET’s recognition agreement with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) covers post-primary educators, while KNUT’s agreement, signed on November 25, 2019, provides for the representation of primary school teachers.
The union is now urging the TSC to facilitate the release of the teachers and ensure their employment conditions reflect their new responsibilities.
Beyond the disagreement over union membership, the deployed teachers have raised concerns about career advancement, transfers, employment terms and recognition of their previous administrative experience.
Protas Kanake, who represents deployed junior school teachers, said some educators who previously served as acting head teachers and deputy head teachers in primary schools had lost their leadership positions following their deployment.
He noted that the current arrangements have created uncertainty over professional advancement, with experienced teachers lacking clear pathways to progress into administrative positions within junior schools.
The teachers are also seeking changes to the transfer policy, which requires educators wishing to change their stations to identify colleagues with matching subject specialisations for a swap.
Kanake says the requirement has made it difficult for teachers posted far from their families to secure transfers, particularly because junior school educators handle several learning areas under the CBE curriculum.
He wants the TSC to consider teachers’ university specialisations and staffing requirements when processing transfer requests instead of relying strictly on subject-to-subject swaps.
KUPPET Chairman Omboko Milemba has also called on Parliament and the Ministry of Education to address the challenges facing deployed junior school teachers.
He argued that the affected educators should not continue operating under arrangements that leave their employment status and career prospects uncertain.
The growing disagreement places the TSC at the centre of the dispute, with KUPPET demanding action to resolve the union membership issue and address the wider concerns affecting teachers working in junior schools.
