By Obegi Malack
obegimalack@gmail.com
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Kajiado County branch officials retained their positions in a hotly contested election held on Saturday in Nkoroi Mixed Secondary School.
The ten officials were overwhelming re-elected to continue leading the teachers union in the County for another term.
chairman Sammy Bundi Maina scooped 477 votes; his opponent James Ntiamasi got 191 votes.
Spirited campaigns were characterized by two camps Team Software versus Team Change. Zadock Ambrose Kisienya retained his position as Executive Secretary with Moses Kingori also getting re-elected as Vice Chairperson.
Maina said they were voted overwhelming since they had touched teachers’ lives in every corner of the county,adding that they received votes from every region. He noted that around 600 teachers participated in the election.
“We have been fighting for their rights, we have been in court ensuring that their rights are respected, during SMASSE training teachers used to sleep in dormitories but that is no longer the case. They are now given allowances to sleep where they want,” he said.
Kajiado County was the last county to join KUPPET, the teachers joined the union in 2012, the union started with 56 teachers, the total membership is now 1,100 out of a 1,200 teachers in the county.
Maina said the union is still pushing to ensure they get a new insurance cover or get enrolled in NHIF like other civil servants.
The Union wants to grow the teachers’ welfare and ensure the classroom teachers who were disadvantaged during the just ended CBA receive allowances. The science teachers should also benefit from risk and house allowances should be harmonized.
