By James Wakahiu
A section of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) branches from the Mount Kenya region now want their Secretary General Wilson Sossion removed from office and immediately replaced by ‘another unionist’.
This comes after a section of teachers from Kiambu and Nairobi camped at KNUT headquarters recently demanding his resignation.
Led by the Thika branch Executive Secretary Joe Mungai Ngige , the teachers expressed their dissatisfaction in Sossion’s leadership saying his leadership style had disintegrated the union on tribal lines.
Mungai noted that many teachers had deregistered from the giant union since Sossion assumed office citing raw deals and alleged poor operations.
He said Sossion was solely to blame for the disquiet in the union accusing him of holding five gainful jobs including operating educational international office in Ghana and which he said was not of any benefit to a Kenyan teacher.
Mungai said although KNUT had permanently employed Sossion to push for the interest of Kenyan teachers, his opportunistic tendencies and love for being a jack of all trades had incapacitated his mandates.
“We are asking the government to consider Sossion for a tourism ambassador’s job. His daily flights to Japan, Australia, Ghana and other countries fit him best to hold such an office,” he said.
He claimed the nominated Member of Parliament had no vigour anymore to push for the welfare of Kenyan teachers.
He refuted claims by Sossion that they had been funded by State house and Teachers Service Commission to fight for his removal.
“We have not been paid to fight Sossion, we are only fed up with his wanting operations and disunity he has caused to the union,” said Mungai.
He said under Sossion’s leadership, Kenyan teachers had lost all the gains from the 1997 KNUT-Government agreement leaving them in a worse situation than before.
“Instead of continuing to lose all the deals, Sossion should pack and leave his office immediately for a better replacement,” he observed.
Mungai, who accused Sossion of remaining silent as teachers continued to suffer, said that teachers’ delocalization and introduction of teacher’s appraisal were done without consultation.
Sossion was last year deregistered as a teacher by TSC among 11 other unionists who joined politics after his nomination to Parliament by Orange Democratic Movement.
