By Roy Hezron
The long standoff at the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) between the National office and a few branch Executive Secretaries who rejected the controversial Teacher Professional Development (TPD) has come to an end after the branch officials were reinstated to the union payroll.
A senior official at the KUPPET national headquarters, who sought anonymity, confirmed to Education News that all the union’s branch officials have been reinstated to the union payroll.
“A good number were reinstated between January and February this year while Vihiga and Migori executive secretaries Sabala Inyeni and Orwa Jasolo were reinstated this month (April) ,” confirmed the source.
Efforts to reach the union’s Secretary General Akelo Misori for a comment on whether or not the officials were reinstated were futile since he hadn’t responded to an SMS sent to him by the time the story was going to press.
In October 2021, the union’s head office suspended several branch Executive Secretaries from the union payroll in what they referred to as a breach of protocol in voicing teachers concerns on the controversial TPD modules.
Branch officials from Laikipia, Migori, Baringo, Vihiga, Busia, Taita Taveta and Samburu were affected.
In a letter sent to the affected branches, Misori directed the branch Treasurers to pay the Executive Secretaries from the union dues sent to the branch, which was a total shift from the previous arrangement where the branch bosses were paid by the head office, after taking a leave of absence from Teachers Service Commission (TSC) upon election.
