Gearing up for union leadership in Nyamira

As the five-year term of the current KUPPET officials is first approaching, the vigor for new members to take up the posts is at a very low gear. Teachers specifically in Nyamira branch have been expecting the current office bearers and the members warming up for the posts to be on the forefront in mobilizing members for the forthcoming elections.

It should be noted that there are several teachers, and in that matter, members of the union who have never participated in choosing of their union leaders. These include those teachers who have been employed within the last five years. During this period, neither the employer nor the union has had the cutesy to invite them for a meeting and induct them or listen to the challenges they are facing in their new work places. That group of teachers need a lot of guidance in regard to union elections and union mandate. That guidance should start now and not later. The incumbents should tell these group of teachers what they haven't done that they need to do or what they will do differently if reelected.  Previously TSC has been calling for induction meeting for new teachers but that has not happened since the year 2012. It was a good practice that could have been maintained or the union should have taken it up.

There is another group of long serving teachers who have never seen the reason of joining a union. Such teachers think that joining a union or not joining is just the same. Just like some naive individuals in our society think that voting in a general election or not voting wouldn't affect their way of life. Let me remind them even if they could be in the inner circles of the current school administrations and they do not expect any push and pull that may require the intervention of the union officials, union leaders make decisions that can affect our profession significantly. For instance, at this time of the pandemic, their advice to the government to or not to open schools is weighty, union officials can decide to sponsor teachers to attend professional development seminars among other things. Therefore, choosing the right leaders in the union is protecting our professional integrity.

If you take a look at the organizations of other professions like the law society of the Kenya (LSK), choosing their leaders is so competitive to an extent of even igniting debates in our national television stations. Here in our union things are so soundless that even the members are now requesting to know if there are other contests apart from the current office bearers. Mwalimu Atari has posted in the various Nyamira teachers WhatsApp groups requesting the various aspirants to come out. Only a few have shown interest of tackling incumbents. They include;

Vice-chair

• Renson Mokaya

Ass. Ex Sec

• Robert Kipkirui
• Evans Matuga(Gavana)

Gender

• Mosiria

Let me do me do a little research and post the photos of these aspirants, their background and their philosophies.