The Ministry of Health has written to the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) asking it to put on hold its planned annual Special Delegates Conference (SDC).
A total of 1,878 delegates were expected to physically attend for elections at Ruaraka sports club on Saturday.
According to Ministry officials the country is currently experiencing widespread Community transmission of Covid-19 with a surge of cases in the past few weeks in certain regions of the country.
Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary (PS) Susan Mochache with the recent global emergence of new highly transmissible SARS-Cov-2 variants and a surge of cases in some countries, Kenya remains a high risk of resurgence of cases and deaths.
Mochache urged Knut to put on hold the proposed in person conference until the situation is under control and the risk of transmission has gone down substantially.
“Knut may wish to consider adopting a hybrid conference with only key participants numbering not more than fiftenn (15) persons attending physically while the rest attend through virtual platforms,” advised Mochache in a letter dated 18th June 2021 addressed to Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion.
Following the directive by the Sossion has written to all Knut Branch Executive Secretaries informing them that there will be no physical elections that will involve more than fifteen members.
“We regret to inform you that the Ministry of Health has advised against a physical meeting and recommended that either the meeting be put on hold until the current Covid-19 situation is brought under control or alternatively we proceed with the conference through a hybrid model limiting to a maximum of 15 persons participating in person and all the others virtual,” Sossion said in the notice.
“The advisory therefore automatically cancels any physical or in person conference. Be advised as we consult on alternative ways of conducting the conference,” he added.
Sossion is facing stiff competition from Collins Oyuu who seems to have majority support of the delegates.
Oyuu with his line up has been touring counties to lure delegates to vote him and his team in the coming elections slated on 26th June 2021.
They are pushing for Sossion removal citing bad blood between him and government that makes teachers lives hard.