KUPPET (Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers) proposed constitutional amendments have threatened to split the union right down the middle, with a number of branch officials having diverse views regarding the introduction of pro-rata policy in selecting delegates.
The policy proposed by Vihiga Executive Secretary Sabala Inyeni during 2022 Annual Delegates Conference (ADC) in Murang’a has been seen by some branch officials as undermining growth of the union.
Inyeni confirmed to Education News in a recent interview that indeed he was the mover of the controversial clause, adding that it is high time the union changed its constitution to be in line with the country’s 2010 Constitution.
“KUPPET is in a constitutional moment. It is a lie for us to refuse to change the constitution, which is actually operating outside the national constitution. We want to include more teachers in the election of our KUPPET national officials. In fact, the ideal situation is for us to allow all teachers to vote for the National Executive Board members. This union belongs to members, not a few people,” Sabala stated.
Busia Executive Secretary Okisai Moffats supported the introduction of the pro-rata policy, stating that it stands for proportionate representation to ensure that all branches are represented equally.
“The union has now grown and must amend the constitution to manage the new growth. If there is that proportionate representation, it is in the constitution. We need also to talk of the sovereignty of the teachers,” said Moffats.
However, his Samburu counterpart William Lengoiyap rejected the introduction of the policy, saying it is just one way of keeping the current national officials in office.
“Pro-rata is not good since it will lead to picking of delegates whom we don’t know where they have come from. For anybody to be a delegate, you must be elected from the ground by the teachers,” said Lengoiyap.
The same was echoed by Narok Executive Secretary Charles Ng’eno, who said the policy is not good for the union.
“The poison in this pro-rata campaign is the attempt to protect the people who are past retirement age. We would not have hesitated to support it, but the way it is being proposed and forced down our throats suggests some hidden agenda,” said Ng’eno.
The just concluded KUPPET ADC, which coincided with the union’s 25th anniversary at Kasarani, brought to the fore the glaring gap between the national office and the teachers’ representatives from the branches.
Daggers were drawn when National Chairman Omboko Milemba took to the podium to read a clause introducing the pro-rata policy in the previous minutes. That quickly changed the moods of most delegates.
One of the delegates, believed to be related to one of the national officials, stormed the podium and forcefully grabbed the microphone from the chairman. In the ensuing melee, several delegates rose to their feet and confrontations took centre stage.
The most agitated group consisted of delegates who refused to endorse some of the proposals for constitutional amendments.
After a push and pull that lasted about 45 minutes, union business resumed with the national chairman assuring the delegates that all proposed amendments will be harmonized by the by-laws committee and forwarded to all relevant organs for approval before ADC 2024.
Other amendments that have generated heat include the retirement age for serving officials and the affirmative action for members in arid and semi-arid areas.
By Roy Hezron
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