By Roy Hezron
Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Collins Oyuu has urged Kenya National Teachers Pressure Group (KNTPG) members to address their grievances using the correct channels since the union has structures which can help address issues affecting teachers who air their grievances well.
Addressing the press at Awendo East Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church, Oyuu said his office has new approaches to handle issues with the teachers’ employer, Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC).
Oyuu distanced himself from the recent transfer of teachers belonging to the KNTPG by TSC and said that he hadn’t seen any letter regarding the transfers.
‘I am not even aware about the transfers. If the affected teachers are sincere that KNUT is their legal representative as registered by the Registrar of Trade Union, the union can address their complaints,’ he said.
He pointed out that KNUT has structures fairly distributed across the country at all levels and that the teachers transferred to other institutions should actually make sure they follow the structures to have their issue addressed.
“Start from the school representatives, the lowest officer legally recognized by the union, then move to the branch executive secretary then to the national office,” he advised.
He stressed that TSC has the mandate to transfer teachers and that in a situation where a transfer is viewed as punitive, the representatives of the teachers can address their issues.
He added that it wasn’t possible for a teacher to try fighting TSC for arbitrarily transferring them.
“As the KNUT secretary general, am urging teachers to use the right methods to raise their complaints. What is someone who is leading a pressure group pressurizing? Who has registered the pressure group? It is not possible for people to wake up, gather then form a group. The pressure group must be legitimately declared and recognized,” noted Oyuu.
He argued that members of the KNTPG were only pressurizing themselves since no pressure group has been legally registered in the country.
“I don’t want to entertain what should not be entertained in this profession. I will hit hard at any person who think they can just make noise without using the right channel. No way. Noise makers won’t succeed,” said Oyuu.
He urged all teachers to respect themselves and the union officials who were elected to work on their behalf as their mouth pieces in addressing issues.
His sentiments came after it emerged that a good number of teachers who are leaders of KNTPG led by the group’s spokesperson Martha Omollo were transferred to various stations.
Some of the leaders of the group who spoke to Education News and who were affected by the transfer noted that the transfer is meant to intimidate and stop them from fighting for teachers’ rights.
