Kuppet gets 46,000 junior school teachers as TSC starts deducting agency fees
Kuppet has received a major boost in membership as 46,000 junior school teachers employed by the government are set to join the union. This follows confirmation by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) that it has started deducting agency fees from these teachers and forwarding them to Kuppet.
TSC’s Role in the Membership Shift
TSC started deducting agency fees from the teachers whose employment was converted to permanent and pensionable in January. This means they are now under Kuppet, ending the tussle between Kuppet and Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) over their membership. Knut represents primary school teachers while Kuppet represents post primary educators.
Kuppet’s acting Secretary-General, Moses Nthurima confirmed they received the first agency fees from the teachers’ February salaries. He explained that under Section 49 of the Labour Relations Act, employees who benefit from a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiated by a union must pay an equivalent amount to union dues as agency fees.
“Junior school teachers are covered under a CBA negotiated by Kuppet. So most are paying agency fees while about 9,000 have already formalized their union membership,” said Mr. Nthurima.
Junior School Teachers Want Representation
This membership boost for Kuppet but junior school teachers want to be represented. Many feel underrepresented despite their numbers and financial contributions.
These teachers formed Kenya Junior School Teachers Association (Kejusta) in 2023 to fight for their rights. The association’s national chairperson and spokesperson, Omari Omari confirmed all junior school teachers are now under Kuppet. But he is unhappy with their limited influence within the union.
“Even with our numbers surpassing 46,000 and contributing over Ksh 40 million monthly to Kuppet, we have only been allocated one leadership position, which is an assistant to the senior secondary secretary,” said Mr. Omari.
Neglect and Harassment Cases
Mr. Omari also accused Kuppet of failing to protect junior school teachers from mistreatment in primary schools. He said the union has been silent on cases of harassment and assault, especially in Nyamira and Turkana counties where some junior school teachers were allegedly attacked by headteachers.
“Knut has been actively protecting their members but Kuppet has been silent while our teachers are being mistreated. Young and inexperienced as they may be, JS teachers deserve fair treatment and proper representation,” he said.
Upcoming Consultative Meeting
Kuppet has invited junior school teacher representatives to a consultative meeting in Nairobi to address their concerns. The meeting led by the Kuppet National Executive Board (NEB) is about membership validation and leadership representation.
Among the issues junior school teachers will be agitating for:
- Increased leadership representation in Kuppet.
- Compensation for time served under internship terms.
- Clear promotion structures for career progression.
- Administrative independence from primary schools.
“Since Kuppet has started deducting our money, it is only fair that we get adequate representation in the union. No taxation without representation,” Mr. Omari said.
Previous Attempts to Join Knut
In December 2023, during Knut’s delegate conference in Mombasa, JS teachers had also demanded positions in Knut’s leadership. At that time Mr. Omari asked for 500 positions nationwide as a condition for their membership in Knut. But Knut Secretary-General Collins Oyuu told them to be patient as talks continued.