The ongoing KUPPET elections, set to conclude on February 28, 2026, have laid bare a troubling reality: the union polls have degenerated into tribal contests rather than contests of ideas, vision, and merit. What should be a democratic exercise to elevate leaders who champion teachers’ welfare has instead become a polarising spectacle of “us” versus “them.” In county after county, the native communities have seized nearly all positions, leaving outsiders sidelined and ordinary teachers betrayed. Nakuru, Kericho, Kilifi, and Tana River are but a few examples where tribal arithmetic has replaced professional merit, and where negotiations are reduced to bargaining chips for ethnic dominance rather than collective progress.
This trajectory is disturbing because it strips the union of its very essence. A union exists to defend the rights, dignity, and welfare of its members. It is supposed to be the shield against exploitation, the voice against injustice, and the conscience that reminds government and employers that teachers are not expendable. Yet, when tribal alignments dictate who sits at the table, the agenda shifts from teachers’ grievances to ethnic pride. The ordinary classroom teacher, already burdened with unbearable workloads, declining income, and hostile working conditions, is left voiceless. Their plight is drowned in the noise of tribal triumphalism, while their supposed representatives indulge in luxury, drawing obscene salaries and allowances.
The danger of this trend is profound. Once tribalism becomes the organising principle of union politics, accountability collapses. Leaders at the national level, insulated by the backing of their ethnic strongholds, no longer feel compelled to listen to the classroom teacher. They pander to government interests, secure in the knowledge that their communities will shield them from scrutiny. The union constitution, instead of being a safeguard for democracy, becomes a fortress for entrenching power. Branch leaders, compromised by the same tribal bargains, fail to hold the national leadership to account. The result is a union emasculated, reduced to a footnote in the agendas of powerful men, while teachers’ voices fade into irrelevance.
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Teachers must recognise the peril of this path. A union divided along tribal lines cannot defend its members effectively. It cannot negotiate better pay, fight for improved working conditions, or secure dignified retirement for its members. It becomes a hollow shell, existing only to perpetuate the privileges of its leaders. The Commission and the Government, ever eager to weaken unions, will exploit these divisions to their advantage. They will find it easy to ignore a union that is fractured, compromised, and distracted by internal ethnic rivalries. The losers in this game are not the leaders who cling to power, but the ordinary teachers who grind daily in overcrowded classrooms, under hostile policies, and with little hope of reprieve.
It is time for teachers to discard the tribal card. Ethnic pride will not pay your bills. It will not reduce your workload. It will not secure your pension. What will make a difference is leadership grounded in merit, vision, and integrity. Teachers must vote for individuals who have demonstrated commitment to the profession, who have articulated clear agendas for reform, and who have shown courage in confronting government excesses. They must reject the temptation to vote for “our man” simply because he shares their surname or dialect. That path leads only to betrayal, disillusionment, and decline.
The classroom teacher deserves leaders who embody empathy, responsibility, and accountability. Leaders who understand the daily grind of lesson preparation, marking, and managing learners. Leaders who will fight for fair remuneration, humane workloads, and dignified retirement. Leaders who will restore the union to its rightful role as a defender of teachers’ rights, not a playground for tribal politics. Teachers must remember that their vote is their voice. To squander it on tribal alignments is to silence themselves. To invest it in merit is to reclaim their dignity and power.
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The KUPPET elections are not just about who wins which seat. They are about the future of the teaching profession. They are about whether teachers will continue to suffer in silence while their leaders indulge in luxury, or whether they will rise to demand accountability, vision, and reform. They are about whether unions will remain strong bulwarks against exploitation or be reduced to pawns in ethnic games. Teachers must choose wisely. They must reject tribalism and embrace merit. For without strong unions, teachers’ affairs will indeed become footnotes in the agendas of powerful men. And when that happens, the classroom teacher will stand alone, abandoned, and unheard.
The time to act is now. Teachers must reclaim their unions from the grip of tribal politics and restore them to their rightful purpose: defending the dignity, welfare, and future of every teacher, regardless of tribe, county, or background. Only then will the union truly serve its members, and only then will teachers’ voices resonate where they matter most.
By Newton Maneno
Email: manenonewton1@gmail.com
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