The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) elections in Kiambu County were marred by confusion, poor organisation, and lengthy delays on Saturday, leaving thousands of teachers frustrated and raising questions about the credibility of the process.
Although the exercise had been scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. according to an official circular, voting did not commence until nearly 11 a.m., with no explanation offered by the returning officer. The delay sparked anger among hundreds of teachers who had arrived early, only to wait for hours without communication from organisers.
Tensions escalated further when the process was halted again around midday, reportedly due to the large turnout and the slow pace of voting. Aspirant Robert Kimani, vying for the chairperson’s seat, described the situation as chaotic and poorly managed. He warned that prolonged stoppages and inadequate arrangements risked eroding confidence in the union’s democratic processes.
Kimani said that if elected, his priorities would include improving healthcare access for teachers and strengthening grassroots engagement through regular town hall meetings, with resolutions forwarded to the union’s Annual Delegates Conference.
Order was eventually restored after police intervened, allowing voting to resume, albeit slowly. However, dissatisfaction remained high among both candidates and voters. Beth Njigigua, contesting the First Assistant Secretary (Gender) position, criticised the organisers for what she termed glaring logistical failures. She argued that concentrating nearly 10,000 teachers in one small venue was impractical and urged the Labour Office to establish more polling centres and select centrally located venues in future.
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First-time voter Maddy Ndung’u expressed shock at the treatment of teachers during the exercise, describing the experience as disheartening. She called for KUPPET and the Labour Office to consider engaging an independent body such as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to manage future union elections professionally and transparently.
By late evening, long queues were still visible at the polling centre, with police struggling to control exhausted teachers, some of whom had been waiting since morning. Voting stretched into the night, underscoring the scale of logistical shortcomings.
As the exercise dragged on, candidates and teachers alike called for urgent reforms in the organisation of union elections, warning that failure to address the shortcomings witnessed in Kiambu could undermine trust in KUPPET’s leadership and electoral processes going forward.
By Felix Njenga
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