Unions are among the most enduring institutions in the struggle for justice at the workplace. They are born in adversity, forged by sacrifice, and sustained by collective hope. Workers join unions believing in solidarity that together they can negotiate better wages, humane working conditions, and dignity in environments that often prioritise profit over people. Yet history shows that unions rarely perish because workers no longer need them. They weaken, decay, and eventually collapse because of one persistent enemy from within: bad leadership.
The collapse of a union is seldom sudden or dramatic. There is no single moment when members wake up to find their union gone. Instead, the decay is gradual and subtle. At first, it is almost invisible. Meetings still take place, officials still hold office, and membership lists still exist. On the surface, everything appears normal.
But beneath that façade, trust is eroding, morale is declining, and purpose is being quietly abandoned. Like rot in timber, the damage spreads inward long before the structure gives way.
Leadership is the lifeblood of any union. Good leaders animate it with vision, courage, and moral authority. Bad leaders, on the other hand, drain it of meaning. They forget that leadership is not a reward but a responsibility. Once elected, they begin to view the union not as a platform for service but as personal property. The office becomes an entitlement, not a trust. From that moment, the rot begins.
ALSO READ:
Over 220,000 learners from 2021 KCPE cohort missing in 2025 KCSE, official data reveals
Often, bad leadership comes wrapped in charm. Such leaders are eloquent speakers, skilled at mobilizing crowds and crafting catchy slogans. They promise radical change, vow to fight employers fiercely, and present themselves as the only defenders of workers’ rights. But rhetoric without integrity is hollow. When the speeches fade, what remains is a leader who avoids accountability, suppresses dissent, and prioritizes personal survival over collective welfare. Slowly, the gap between words and actions widens, and members begin to notice.
One of the earliest signs of decay is the loss of transparency. Financial records become inaccessible or poorly explained. Decisions that once involved broad consultation are made by a small inner circle. Elections are manipulated, postponed, or conducted in ways that discourage genuine competition. Members who question these practices are labelled disloyal or disruptive. In such an environment, democracy, the backbone of any credible union, dies quietly.
As transparency fades, credibility follows. Employers and governments are astute observers. They can quickly tell when union leaders are compromised, divided, or disconnected from their members. Negotiation tables become stages for empty rituals rather than meaningful engagement. Threats of industrial action lose their bite because leaders lack the courage or the mandate to act. When leadership is weak, employers push harder, knowing resistance will be minimal. Workers suffer, and confidence in the union diminishes further.
Bad leadership also corrodes unity. Instead of fostering solidarity, poor leaders thrive on division. They pit members against one another along regional, ethnic, generational, or professional lines to secure loyalty from select groups. This divide-and-rule tactic may keep leaders in power temporarily, but it destroys the collective strength of the union. A fragmented membership cannot stand firm against external pressure. Disunity becomes fertile ground for further decay.
Perhaps the most devastating consequence of bad leadership is apathy. When members feel ignored, betrayed, or used, they disengage. Attendance at meetings declines. Elections attract little enthusiasm. Younger workers see no value in participation and distance themselves from union affairs. The union becomes the preserve of a few officials rather than a living movement. Apathy is not loud or dramatic, but it is lethal. A union without active members is a shell—present in name, absent in spirit.
Over time, mediocrity becomes normalized. Corruption, incompetence, and unfulfilled promises are accepted as inevitable. Members stop expecting better. What once provoked outrage now elicits resignation. This normalization of failure is perhaps the most dangerous stage of rot because it dulls the instinct to resist. When workers accept poor leadership as the natural order of things, the union’s moral compass is lost.
History offers countless examples of unions that lost relevance not because their cause expired, but because leadership failed. Some became too cosy with political power, trading workers’ interests for personal favours. Others turned unions into stepping stones for political careers, abandoning members once personal ambitions were secured. In each case, the result was the same: weakened bargaining power, disillusioned members, and eventual decline.
ALSO READ:
Ann Cheruiyot retains KNUT Kericho executive secretary seat in a hotly contested election
Yet this slow death is not unavoidable. Unions are democratic institutions, and their strength ultimately lies with the membership. Leaders are elected, not imposed by fate. Every election is a moment of choice and responsibility. A careless vote can entrench decay, while a thoughtful one can restore purpose. Members must learn to look beyond charisma and ask harder questions. Who has integrity? Who has a track record of service? Who listens, consults, and remains accountable even when it is inconvenient?
Strong unions are built by principled leaders who understand that authority flows upward from the members, not downward from office. Such leaders value transparency, encourage debate, and welcome scrutiny. They recognize that disagreement is not disloyalty but a sign of democratic health. They negotiate firmly, resist compromise that undermines workers’ rights, and remain rooted in the daily realities of the people they represent.
Equally important is an informed and vigilant membership. Workers must resist the temptation to disengage when leadership disappoints. Silence only accelerates decay. Questioning, participation, and insistence on accountability are acts of loyalty, not rebellion. A union thrives when members remain actively involved, demanding better and refusing to normalize failure.
Unions were never meant to be comfortable institutions. They exist to challenge imbalance, confront injustice, and protect the vulnerable. That mission requires courage both from leaders and from members. When leadership fails, the responsibility to correct course does not disappear; it shifts back to the base.
Unions do not collapse overnight. They rot slowly when bad leadership is tolerated, when vigilance fades, and when members surrender their voice. The warning signs are always present, long before the final collapse. The choice is clear and unavoidable: confront the rot early through principled leadership and active membership, or watch a once-powerful institution decay quietly from within.
By Hillary Muhalya
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
>>> Click here to read more informed opinions on the country’s education landscape
>>> Click here to stay ahead with the latest national news.
