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.
