Knut Secretary General Collins Oyuu in Mombasa on
Sunday / BRIAN OTIENOOyuu dismissed assertions that he feels threatened by
reports that his predecessor, Wilson Sossion, is plotting a comeback.
“Every person is free to vie if you
are a member of Knut,” Oyuu said on Sunday.
Speaking after a meeting of the Knut Nyanza region
leaders with Interior PS Raymond Omollo in Mombasa, Oyuu appeared to make
reference to the fact that Sossion was deregistered by the Teachers Service
Commission in July 2020.
This would automatically disqualify him from vying
for any position in the giant union.
Sossion had an adversarial relationship with the
teachers’ employer and his deregistration was meant to mount pressure on him to
relinquish his position at the giant union following his entry into politics
when he was nominated as an MP by ODM.
He finally resigned in June 2021, hours before the
Knut elections which saw Oyuu take over from him.
He had served the union for nine years, first as
the national chairman and then as the secretary general, a position which makes
the holder the union’s spokesperson.
“People misinterpret the law. That anybody can vie
for the position of Secretary General. We’ve been looking into the Act. Much as
there is a small leeway, the teaching profession is different,” Oyuu said on
Sunday.
He dismissed Sossion’s intended bid for his seat, saying
TSC cannot deal with anybody who is not a registered teacher.
“People just try their luck everywhere and anywhere.
If anything, what I know of Sossion of late he would wish to be the CEO of
Teachers Service Commission, and that is in every other person’s mind.
“How he comes in to seek for a position in Knut I
don’t now and I have not heard about it. You can tell me more if you have heard
about it,” Oyuu said.
He said he does not feel threatened in any way by
anyone who wishes to vie for the seat in 2026, saying his track record will
see him through re-election.
Asked if he feels threatened by Sossion’s reported
comeback, Oyuu said: “Threatened about what and I am the secretary general? Who
can threaten a secretary general, if anything? If I’ve worked well, I’ll be
re-elected. If I’ve not worked well then I’ll have reason to feel that maybe I
might not be voted back.”
He said teachers in the country have a lot of
respect for the team he leads including the National Steering Committee.
“I’m not threatened. I’m strong enough,” he said.
Oyuu said the
new guidelines for senior school would address the teething problems in CBC
He said when the now-abolished 8-4-4 system was
introduced in the 1980s, there were a lot of issues that threatened
the whole system.
“There is nothing new that comes without
challenges. Let us be prepared for the challenges that are there and we are
going to surmount,” he said.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
The Knut branch elections are set to be held next year between January 5 and March 31. Officials at both the branch and national levels serve for a five-year term and are eligible for re-election provided they have not reached the age of 65.
