The Registrar of Trade Unions Ann Kanake has rejected an application by Arid and semi-arid Land (ASAL) teachers to form their own union, the Kenya Union for ASAL Teachers (KUAT), maintaining that the trade unions are registered based on sector-based and not regional.
In a letter dated August 27, 2025, to Mohamed Ali Muhumed and Atony Barasa Mabonga, who had sought the registration of the union, Kanake stated that there are enough unions already registered by her office to represent the teachers, with Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) established branches in the ASAL regions where the promoters wanted to seek to draw their membership from.
“Please be informed that the registration of Trade Unions is not based on regions but Labour Sectors such as education, medical, and transport sectors, just to mention a few,” said Kanake in the letter.
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She pointed out that the teachers that the two promoters wanted to seek to recruit as per their application are already registered and in existence with KNUT representing every registered teacher, certified, licensed or authorised to teach in public primary schools in Kenya, KUPPET representing teachers and trainers in secondary and tertiary institutions who are certified, licenced and authorised to teach; Kenya Union of Pre-Primary Education Teachers (KUNOPPET) representing all teachers in Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) who are certified, licensed and authorised to teach.
The Kenya National Union of Private School Teachers represents trained teachers and those engaged to teach in private schools, private education institutions, private Kindergartens, and private primary and secondary schools.
“Teachers from the ASAL regions are therefore at liberty to join any of the aforementioned Unions and Branches. In these Circumstances, your application is unsuccessful, ” ruled Kanake.
The teachers, through their promoters, wanted to form their own union, citing that the mainstream unions had overlooked them in addressing their grievances.
By Roy Hezron
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