Nyamira KUPPET politics

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), is growing to be a giant in articulating education matters in general and issues affecting the Kenyan teacher in particular. The growth of the union can be attributed to the increased sensitization of the teachers, the preserved good and genuine leadership in KUPPET, infighting within the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) which is now scaring new teachers from joining it, to list but a few.

In Kenya, teachers constitute the largest cohort of government employees followed by the police who are not allowed to form or join a union. This means that the influence of a person in a leadership position in a giant teachers’ union such as KUPPET is overwhelming. Such a person is expected to not only deal with education matters but a wide spectrum of issues in the society which normally catapults such individuals to others leadership positions including in the county governments or the national assembly leaving the union positions for other teachers.

The post of the executive secretary is the most powerful among all the posts in the union. As the date for choosing the next officials draws nearer, in Nyamira the executive secretary’s position seems like it will be a one horse race. According to the survey conducted in the last two weeks, the incumbent executive secretary Mr. Lewis Nyakweba has clear upper hand of retaining the seat if he still contests. The survey included four other office bearers who were expected to be influential in matters relating to KUPPET politics.








This indicates that Mr. Nyakweba is getting a thumbs up for the leadership he is offering in the Nyamira KUPPET. It should be noted that Nyamira had a successful AGM where all attendants were issued with branded KUPPET t-shirts and most teacher were accorded an opportunity to air their comments on how the union can grow farther. Moreover, the union has come out strongly to support the co-curriculum activities in the county by either issuing t-shirts, trophies and even drinking water among other incentives. Attendance of a KUPPET official during the opening or closing ceremony of a co-curriculum activity in the county is now a norm. Although the Nyamira teachers would like to see more pronounced progress like acquiring a KUPPET bus and acquiring land for its offices, it indicates that the small progress and the good gesture of Mr. Nyakweba’s leadership of the union is resonating well with the teachers.

The executive secretary has also been in the frontline in advising teachers on matters pertaining the teaching profession and even defending them whenever they are wrongly or rightfully accused. He always attends teachers’ activities like workshops and Mwalimu National Sacco AGMs to bring the support, power and prestige of his office. During such functions he will not miss to throw one or two pieces of advice to the teachers either through the microphone line or informally in small groupings before or after the meeting.

The survey also shows that a small number of teachers were ready to participate for various reasons. Others feared that maybe their identities could be revealed not knowing that the website used doesn't have the provision of knowing who voted. It only keeps record of the electronic device that has voted to avoid voting more than once from the same device. It could also exemplify the tendency of humans that they can't be asked to vote without proper campaign and mobilization including transportation (in this case bundles to go online). Thirdly and less significant is that some teachers may have not known how to participate in the online voting. Contrary, in the neighboring Kisii county, in every survey it records over 300 participants.

You can check the survey by clicking here.

As I conclude, I would like to wish you a happy freedom day that will be celebrated on Sunday the third day of May the year 2020.

BY;

Erwin Mogusu (omogusu@gmail.com),

A teacher in Nyamira county.