The 40,000 Junior Secondary School JSS teachers admitted to Teachers Service Commission TSC early this year risked being barred from the KNUT and KUPPET elections slated for 2026.
According to circulars issued by respective General Secretaries of the two rival trade movements, a members is eligible to vie or participate in the branch or national elections by being paid-up members at least three months to the election date, leaving out the JSS teachers jostling to subscribe to any of the two.
As the JSS teachers push for their autonomous union and to separate from being administered from primary schools, KNUT and KUPPET have set next February as the deadline for the branches to have concluded their polls.
And with the financial challenges facing the JSS teacher, both unions have raised the nominations fees for aspirants seeking various seats at the branch level. This means teachers with low payments will not be able to take part in the polls held once in every five-year term.
For example, KUPPET has set the nomination fees of Ksh 200,000 for the branch Executive Secretary seat, Ksh 100,000 for the chair as well for treasure and Ksh 50,000 for the rest of the seats.
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In the circular dated November 26, 2025 by the Secretary General Akello Misori, for the first time instructors from TVETs will be incorporated in the polls by preferably electing the branch secretary for Tertiary institutions from among themselves.
By avoiding the debate of age limit for all aspirants for both branch and national levels, Misori played to clever to cushion the outgoing officials against the upcoming leaders who are accusing the outgoing office of going to bed with the national government over their general welfare.
From Trans Nzoia branch whose polls are set for February 21, aspirants are up in arms over the lack of their participation in the transfer of the medical cover from the ancient AON-Minet insurers to the government-controlled SHAH blaming the teachers unions for allegedly sitting on the fence when the negotiations were being reached by their TSC and the government.
Led by Lilian Miheso vying for the branch vice-chair, the aspirants also took a swipe at the national office for acting ultra vires by ordering for the countrywide polls and against the union’s Constitution over the age limit of 60 years eligibility to contest, a matter they say was still pending in court.
Terming the 2026 KUPPET as the mother of all battles, Miheso however said they will soldier on with the crusade of targeting the national office for change for allegedly not being “privy to the 21st century challenges of a majority of teachers”.
BY ABISAI AMUGUNE
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