Summery

• KNUT has a regular salary of Sh80 and a running budget of over Sh100 million every month.
• KNUT pocketed Sh54 million in July, Sh34 million in August and 32 million in September.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers, Knut is threatening to take legal action against the Teachers Service Commission for purposely stifling it by deregistering its affiliates.

The latest statistics from the TSC reveals that the union has lost its membership to 34,312 from 187,471 in the last 15 months. The former giant union used to pocket at least Sh144 million union dues every month, but in October, the union just got meagre of Sh25 million.

 KNUT Secretary-General Hon. Wilson Sossion on Saturday stated that the union is incapable of running its operations and has been compelled to shut down some of its branch offices as they cannot afford rent.

ADC dropped

Mr Sossion announced that KNUT is incapable of holding branch elections and may not continue with the yearly delegates conference in December as they normally do, due to incapacity to financial constraints.

“The annual budget for the ADC is approximately Sh200 million, which the union saves over time. What can we do with Sh 25 million? It cannot even meet our payroll budget." Sossion said.

The union has a payroll of Sh80 and an operating budget of over Sh100 million every month. But Sossion says that they will have to take legal action against the Teachers' employer, TSC for disobeying a court order.

It has been revealed that TSC failed to release KNUT's union dues in July, August and December 2019, but released Ksh83 million in September and Ksh81 million in November.

Once-giant union

Funds forwarded to KNUT this year have been declining month after month. For instance, in January, the KNUT pocketed Ksh75 million, in Feb Ksh67 million, in March Ksh66 million, in April Ksh64 million, in May Ksh62 million, June Ksh59 million, in July, Ksh54 million, in August Ksh34 million and in Sep Ksh32 million.

With the prevailing trend, the KNUT could lose all its membership. Coast region National Executive Council Dan Aloo, announced that Knut staff are discouraged.

“Branches are unable to pay rent, electricity, water and meet other operational costs. We now need President Uhuru Kenyatta’s help to mediate the union and the TSC,” said Mr Aloo.

Makueni Knut branch executive secretary Benson Ndambuki stated that staff is having financial difficulties due to the cold war between the KNUT and TSC. “Some of our staff had taken loans, but now, due to the TSC’s failure to remit union dues, some are being auctioned,” said Mr Ndambuki.

Hon Sossion maintained that the digital program introduced by the employer for teachers to join or withdraw union membership is unlawful and is being applied to compel Knut members to quit the union with the hope of promotions.

“Stifling of the union is geared at ensuring that operations are crippled. Right now the union is united and we are not going to relent. No employer can fight a union and win. So far, of all the cases taken to court by the employer, Knut won.” Sossion said.

The conflict between TSC and Knut has exploded in the last two years following the disagreement on the implementation of career development guidelines, promotion of teachers, rolling out of the new competency-based curriculum, delocalisation of teachers and the implementation of the 2016-2021 CBA.

The hostilities ended up in court battles, denying and delaying of Knut dues by TSC, deregistration of Knut SG Wilson Sossion as from the teachers' book, and also cut links of TSC with Knut. Sossion stated that the employer should use the Code of Regulations, the TSC Act and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) when dealing with teachers.

“Knut has membership and leadership all over Kenya. We are united and loyal to the union but shocked at the actions by the employer to bring down the union,” said Sossion.

The employer and the union conflict have led to the decrease of KNUT membership, as other unions such as KUPPET, KUSNET and KEWOTA continues to grow its membership.