A fresh row has broken out between the country's two biggest teachers' unions. The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) has accused the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) of violating the rights of 10,250 teachers.
The dispute centres on the representation of more than 10,000 teachers deployed from primary schools to junior schools.
The teachers' move to the junior level has left unclear which union should speak for them, and it has reopened a long-running rivalry over membership.
The tension is not new. Knut has traditionally represented primary school teachers, while Kuppet represents teachers in secondary schools and colleges.
Junior school teachers sit between the two categories, and both unions have been competing to recruit them. A spokesperson for a junior school teachers' group has said its members would rather form their own union than join Knut or Kuppet.
The two unions have clashed over membership before. In earlier disputes, Kuppet denied recruiting Knut members saying its mandate was to represent post-primary teachers and called for a clear demarcation of representation with Knut serving primary school teachers only. Knut opposed that proposal.
The latest accusation comes at a sensitive time for the sector. The two unions have issued joint notices to the government in recent months on teachers' concerns, so a public falling-out risks weakening their united front.
Much will now depend on how Knut responds and whether the Teachers Service Commission steps in to clarify which union represents the affected teachers.
For the 10,250 teachers at the centre of the row, the dispute raises practical questions about who negotiates their terms and who receives their union dues.
Link; https://x.com/NationAfrica/status/2118063240957861988?a=EfI7GxelWHfmXXY1MTo&s=19
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