KNUT has demanded that the Teachers Service Commission revokes show cause letters issued to teachers in various branches for defying the directive on delocalisation. Chairman Wycliffe Omuchei said in a press conference on Thursday that TSC should stop the delocalisation or “else the union will take unspecified action.” “Withdraw all the show case letters that you have written to our members with immediate effect. This affects all teachers,” he said.
“They should listen to us so that we listen to them. If they don’t, then God knows what we will do.”
Omuchei said teachers were not happy about the policies further lamenting that the Knut was not involved in the decision. “We are asking TSC to stick to what we agreed on in the meeting. Reverse the transfers of teachers as our members have a right to participate in the activities of the union,” he said.
Secretary general Wilson Sossion said it was ‘regrettable and unfortunate’ that the TSC is attempting to engage in savage attacks of the union leadership and members. The teachers employer had accused Sossion of being dishonest about the ongoing negotiations between the union and the commission.
In a statement to newsrooms, the TSC distanced itself from some of the grounds the union boss was quoted saying they had reached in the negotiations. But Sossion asked the TSC to issue an apology to the union and the teaching fraternity for tainting the image of the profession. “It is in bad faith and amounts to nothing but a declaration of war. TSC shall never run the affairs of KNUT! As an employer, you cannot originate policies that contravene the code of regulations. KNUT is not a subset of TSC,” he said. Sossion said the president’s statement on delocalisation, scaled down all the emotions and tensions in the country. “TSC should stop personalising matters when KNUT discusses teachers’ matters. TSC should stop threatening teachers with disciplinary action,” he said.
“TSC is not so independent that it is independent from the nation of Kenya. TSC should respect and honor the presidential directive on reversing delocalisation.” The policy mainly affects head teachers who are transferred from their homes to improve effectiveness.
Last week, President Uhuru Kenyatta told Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed to relook into the delocalisation policy. He said this will be so that affected families don’t suffer from such changes. The President issued the directive when he officially opened the Catholic Schools Principals Conference being held at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi.