The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Machakos ended in disarray as members of two opposing factions disagreed on various issues, including the yearly financial reports.
A group primarily represented by Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers rejected the financial report presented by the branch’s treasury, calling it shoddy, poorly researched, and inadequately prepared.
They refused to endorse the report, citing its lack of auditing, authenticity, and signatures.
Another contentious issue was the pro-rata representation, which teachers argued has negatively impacted the representation of women and youth in higher positions, as delegates are nominated rather than elected.
Yvonne Musyoka, Vice Chair of KUPPET Machakos, stated that this method has turned teachers into mere voting machines, with threats of exclusion from the National Delegates Congress (NDC) if they dissent.
Teachers also raised several concerns they believe the government should address. They called for JSS teachers to be stationed in secondary schools instead of primary schools.
Machakos branch Executive Secretary Musembi Katuku noted that JSS teachers are specialized to teach only two subjects but are often forced to teach different subjects at their assigned workstations, leading to friction between them and school heads.
Additionally, teachers decried the lack of hardship allowances for those in challenging areas, which has led to a surge in transfer requests. Katuku highlighted areas like Mwala and Kathiani, where water shortages and difficult topography make it challenging for teachers to reach schools.
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On the abolition of boarding sections of some schools by the Education Taskforce, Katuku said the government should consider schools with special education as learners with disability and from poor backgrounds will be most affected.
Despite the turmoil, KUPPET Machakos celebrated a recent achievement: 1,370 teachers in Machakos were confirmed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) on permanent terms following a strike months ago.
Moses Nthurima, Deputy Secretary General criticized the disparity in earnings between teachers and school heads, which he claimed can be as high as 700%.
He vowed to push the TSC to review this disparity, arguing that teachers perform most of the tasks compared to school heads.
By Steve muthiny
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