By Roy Hezron
Kenya Union of Teachers (KNUT) acting national chairman Collins Oyuu and Secretary General Wilson Sossion are both reading on different scripts on which conference is responsible for forthcoming union national elections.
In his letter dated April 22, 2021 quoting Article VII (A) of Knut constitution, Sossion issued a two months’ notice of the Annual Delegates Conference (ADC) with two main agendas of the union’s general elections, and tabling and adoption of various reports.
“Pursuant to Article VII (A) 3 of the KNUT Constitution…notice is hereby issued of Annual Delegates Conference (ADC) of the KNUT,” stated Sossion in the circular which was copied to the TSC, Acting Union Chairman, National Treasurer, all branch officials and the relevant Government labour agencies.
This therefore implied that going by the notice Sossion issued to all branch Executive Secretaries, the union should conduct elections as from June 22 to June 30 this year.
However, this was not well received by Oyuu who in a terse letter to Sossion dated April 23, 2021 maintained that it’s only a Special Delegates Conference that is supposed to be convened, adding that his (Sossion’s) circular had created confusion in the union’s leadership.
“Generally the circular has generated a lot of heat in the leadership of the Union across the country and I wish to be honest and state that this circular goes against the spirit of the KNUT Constitution (2015) with regards to Special Delegates Conference where our focus should be one item, National Elections 2021,” stated Oyuu in the letter.
Sossion in his circular maintained that elections will be conducted during the ADC which only requires a two month notice, with Oyuu maintaing that elections be held during the Special Delegates Conference (SDC) which only requires a two weeks’ notice.
Knut Constitution under Article XX (C) 1 states that the elections of the unions top leadership that is the national chairman, 1st and 2nd Vice national chairman, Secretary General (SG), Deputy SG, Assistant SG, national treasurer, assistant national treasurer, and National Woman Representative shall be carried out by secret ballot by all delegates accredited to participate at either ADC or SDC.
This has however raised questions of concern as to whether there is consultation in the union’s national steering in which both Oyuu and Sossion sit in as members, before communication is being send to its concerned parties.
This is evident in Oyuu’s letter when he stated “That the circular you have written to all our Branches is not as a product of the consultations from the National Steering.”
Another part where the two are also reading from different scripts is on the nomination of the delegates and the nominees to the National Executive Councils (NEC) in which Oyuu states that it should go by the union’s constitution.
“Further, I want to bring to your attention that Branch elections were carried out using the June 2019 membership register of the KNUT…and thus we cannot deviate from the same when nominating delegates for the SDC,” said Oyuu in the letter.
Sossion, however, maintains that nominees of the Regional Councils to the NEC positions shall be forwarded to his office with minutes of the Regional Councils meetings.
“All regions are encouraged to endeavour to conclude the business of NEC nominations and agree on candidates for their steering slots as currently allocated to their regions for harmony and order in the Union. Regions are adviced to refrain from attempting to grab other regions’ National Steering Seats for peace and order to prevail in the Union,” said Sossion in April 22 circular.
This is not the first time the two are taking each other on head-on in official communications involving letters over election date and others involving verbal communication.
In a letter dated March 8, 2021 addressed to Sossion, Oyuu reminded him to convene the steering committee meeting on March 17, 2021 to calm down allegations surrounding the union’s general elections.
“I therefore take this opportunity to place this final reminder and request you to convene a Steering Committee Meeting which you have intentionally not done so for the last two months. It is not in good taste to continue avoiding my persistent request to have Steering meetings for the smooth running of this great institution,” said Oyuu in the letter.
In his reply dated March 15, 2021, Sossion stated that meetings of whatever nature in the union are convened after consultations of the top three officials who set the agenda for the meetings.
“Be informed that meetings of whatever nature are convened after meeting consultations of the three top officials who set the agenda for the said meetings…This we have not done and you have never walked to my office for any consultations as required by customs and practice,” said Sossion in the letter.
Another scenario where Oyuu also took Sossion head-on is on the delayed Mumias branch polls whereby on March 27, 2021, Oyuu stated that all branches were supposed to have concluded their elections by the end of March and wondered why Mumias elections have been postponed three times.
He accused Sossion together with his supporters for having a hand in the delays and postponements for the branch to conduct its elections assuring teachers that the elections must be conducted before the national elections.
