Uhuru succession factor in Sossion, TSC friction – Weekly Citizen

It is now becoming crystal clear that the war between the government through the Teachers Service Commission and the Kenya Uion of Teachers secretary general Wilson Sossion is far from ending.

More interesting is the fact that the fight that was initially between Knut and the teachers’ employer has been personalised by being narrowed and reduced to be a fight between TSC executive officer Nacy Macharia and Sossion.

Shocking is the fact that despite the court giving a verdict over the wars between Knut and TSC, Macharia has gone ahead to disregard the court ruling by removing Sossion from the teachers’ register.

Sossion

The step taken by Macharia has been viewed by many Kenyans who have respect for the rule of law as a clear move that there were some mighty forces determined to bring Sossion down and weaken the labour movement in the country using Macharia.

According to the investigations, there are a number of union members who are members of parliament but Macharia has not bothered to remove them from the teachers’ register as she has done to Sossion.

Therefore, this open biasness raises a lot of questions indicating that the TSC CEO was being used as a pawn to have Sossion removed from the teaching profession for reasons known by those behind the move .

For long, word has had it that William Ruto has been uncomfortable with Sossion, an ODM nominated MP for fear that Sossion may whip teachers from his Kipsigisland and parts of the country to undermine his presidential bid. The DP camp will prefer a person allied to them as secretary general. On October 29, Macharia in Kenya Gazette notice number 10382 under TSC Act removed Sossion TSC No 340096 from the teachers’ register.

“Pursuant to section 30 of the TSC Act, TSC has removed the name of the individual under named from the register of the teachers. Further, under the law the individual cannot engage teaching in any school,” part of the notice read.

Melly

To justify the removal of Sossion from the register as suspicious, Weekly Citizen has established that there are a number of MPs who are teachers by profession who are currently officials of teachers’ union but they have not been targeted the Sossion way.

Notable MPs who are teachers and are current officials of their teachers union include Omboko Milemba who is the Kuppet national chairman as well as the MP for Emuhaya constituency, Catherine Wambilianga women rep in Bungoma county who also represents gender parity in Kuppet, Ronald Tonui (Bomet Central constituency) who is the Kuppet national assistant treasurer, Jerusa Momanyi a teacher (Nyamira women rep)and Julius Melley a teacher who is also the chairman of education committee in the national assembly among many teachers in the assembly.

Macharia

Many Knut members from across the country who never wanted to be quoted in fear of being victimised are now questioning why Macharia has not removed the other teachers who are members of parliament from the teachers’ register, if it is not personal vendetta against Sossion.

“Was Sossion gazetted as a teacher when he was employed by TSC to also warrant Macharia to use the same system of removing him from the teachers’ register,” another member remarked.

A former retired teacher from Kakamega county Nathan Kizito also bitterly faulted Macharia for her action terming it the highest degree of impunity, dictatorship and partiality which should not be allowed in the current era.

He said that dictatorship ended with the old constitution and added that what Macharia was trying to do was to rob the teachers the gains they have achieved by taking them back to the dark days and warned her that history would judge her harshly for the evil she has committed to teaching fraternity while serving as the TSC CEO.

Momanyi

Kizito noted that it is indeed unfortunate that the TSC CEO is mistreating and fighting Sossion because of his stand on championing for teachers welfare and rights but reminded her that even if she forsakes the teachers because of her political masters God will not forsake teachers no matter how long it will take.

Retired Knut assistant national treasurer Richard Kibagendi reminded Macharia that despite using all means to fight Sossion, he was legally and remains to be the Knut general secretary until teachers decide to remove him from office.

Teachers from Bomet, Trans Mara, Homa Bay, Kisii, Kisumu and Nyamira branches who talked to this writer told Macharia that she would retire from the TSC but Sossion would remain and continue to be the teachers patriot.

Omboko

When Sossion was contacted, he said that he had become a sacrificial lamb because of the stand of fighting for the rights of teachers and good governance in the education sector.

He repeated again that he has never had any problem with Kenyan teachers but the employer and the government who want to weaken the teachers’ bargaining power in the country.

A bitter Sossion told Weekly Citizen that he was even more than prepared to lose his life in the cause of fighting and championing for the teachers’ rights.

He said that as a person he has not committed any crime to warrant his removal from the teachers’ register, saying the action taken by Macharia was ill advised.

Sossion said that such actions were meant to scare and divide the teachers but stated that finally Macharia could find herself on the wrong footing.

For a long time, TSC has tried to use its entire means to weaken teachers’ bargaining power but all in vain.

Wambilianga

In the first incident, it managed to divide teachers thus, resulting into the creation of Kuppet before resorting to dividing the Knut officials which has also hit a snag. Cotu secretary general Francis Atwoli has come to Sossion’s defence.