It is becoming apparent that the Kenya National Union of Teachers war has now narrowed and turned out to be a fight between secretary general Wilson Sossion and treasurer John Matiang’i .
To tame Sossion, Matiang’i has brought on his side Knut chairman Wycliffe Omucheyi and assistant secretary Hesbon Otieno.
Speaking to Weekly Citizen after the court reinstated him following a coup orchestrated and organised by Matiang’i two weeks ago so as to have him removed from office, Sossion said that the Matiang’i family had ganged up to bundle him out of his position through the backdoor.
He claimed that the treasurer was using the state machinery provided by his brother Fred Matiang’i who is the Interior cabinet secretary to fight him and dismantle the union for their selfish ambitions but said that God will soon prevail and take control.
KNUT Seceretary General Wilson Sossion in addressing teachers in a past event
He blamed the Matiang’is for the current misunderstandings between the national Knut officials, the Teachers Service Commission and the ministry of Education.
Sossion claimed that the treasurer has hired chinkororo goons from his native home in South Mugirango constituency which he was using to unleash terror and fear against the union officials, staff members and to block him and his supporters from accessing the Knut national office.
The secretary general said that already, there are advanced plans that after his unceremonial removal from office, Matiang’i will be installed as the secretary general with the help of state machinery given by his brother who is in charge of the security docket.
Another source confided to this writer that the Knut treasurer had also been promised to be appointed one of the TSC commissioners if he succeeds to bundle Sossion out of office.
Sossion who is a nominated MP said that several attempts have been made to hijack the union leadership through the back door but the judiciary has demonstrated that the rule of law must be respected.
“Let Kenyans and teachers know that teachers are not at war with TSC, the ministry of Education but that the Matiang’i family is at war with teachers,” Sossion said.
He told the teachers to remain united and be ready to sacrifice their lives in the course of fighting for their rights which is under the threat of the Matiang’i family
Interestingly, Matiang’i the Knut treasurer is fighting Sossion while his elder brother who is the interior cabinet secretary is also not getting on well with the William Ruto.
The big question people are now asking is that is it a by coincidence or design that the two brothers are fighting the two leading sons who hail from the same community in Rift Valley.
Matiangi
Teachers from Nyamira county where Matiang’i hails from have already termed him as a “Judas Iscariot” and traitor who was being used by his brother in bringing down the giant and umbrella teachers’ union for their own selfish ambitions.
Led by Nyamira Knut county chairman Kennedy Nyamwanda and Nyamira BEC member Geoffrey Omwansa, they claimed that the treasurer was brought to the union by his brother when he was the minister for education with a sinister motive of weakening the union’s bargaining power.
“We want Kenyan teachers to know that Matiang’i, the treasurer is a TSC mole and a government project who was brought on board with the intention of killing the union. We as teachers from Nyamira county have no confidence in him,” Omwansa told Weekly Citizen.
They claimed that Matiang’i was using the name of his brother to intimidate teachers and Knut officials at all levels who were against the removal of Sossion from office.
Some national officials told Weekly Citizen that that the treasurer has assured them that with the removal of Sossion from office, TSC would immediately release Sh140 million which would be shared immediately among those who supported the course.
Matiang’i, they said, is using hired goons to threaten teachers and Knut officials who were against his schemes of fighting Sossion and other officials who are aligned to him.
The treasurer’s campaign at the national office, they claimed, was funded by the government in a bid bring the union down, a scheme which was hatched by his brother who is now a super minister in the Jubilee government overshadowing DP William Ruto
Knut forces which were led by retired Knut national assistant treasurer Richard Kibagendi to warn teachers against the move of electing Matiang’i to the national office failed as a lot money was pumped into the campaign to tilt the official view.
It is said that Sossion was also against the move because there was no way a brother could discharge his duties against his own brother who was then the minister for Education.
Kibagendi who talked to Weekly Citizen asked Kenyan teachers not to allow themselves to be divided by the Matiang’i family now that the CS was eyeing the country’s top seat.
He said it was shameful that two brothers can join hands with the state in fighting the teachers’ union which was majorly out to fight for the teachers’ rights and welfare.
Kibagendi noted that failure by CS Matiang’i and the police to obey the court orders of giving Sossion security are a clear indication that they had no respect for the rule of the law.
“Let the CS use his brother to kill Knut and remove Sossion from office but we want to assure him that here at home, we will campaign against his move of seeking votes for the seat of presidency,” Kibagendi said.
Omucheyi
Teachers from Kisii and Nyamira counties also said that should Sossion be bundled out of office, they would form another union where he would be their boss in a bid to shame those out to frustrate him and the Kenyan teaching fraternity.
Wycliffe Omucheyi was elected chairman of Knut to succeed Mudzo Nzili who had retired. Omucheyi to win the seat was an ally of Sossion then. Insiders say that by then, Sossion was aware of Omucheyi’s control camp and released a dossier on Omucheyi age that is currently heading to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to probe. Omucheyi was initially serving in an acting capacity after Nzili retired.
Through Sossion influence, Omucheyi was the only candidate who vied for the election that took place at the Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi during the 61st annual delegates conference. At least 1,887 members voted.
Elected by teachers were Collins Oyoo and Rosalie Mkanjala as first and second vice chairpersons respectively.
Omucheyi benefited from unwritten rule that top Knut offices be shared regionally. The chairperson’s position is for the Western region, the first vice chair for Central, the second vice chair for the Coast and the deputy secretary-general for Nyanza.
Sossion decision to back Oyoo who had been serving as deputy secretary-general, then faced resistance from Central, which had held the post for 10 years. It is on these grounds that Central has been on forefront in pushing for Sossion’s removal after being nominated to parliament.
Oyoo challengers were Kiambu East executive secretary Clement Gicharu and Nyeri chairman Patrick Karinga.
Mkanjala, then Taita Taveta executive secretary ran against national trustee Kadzo Unda.
Clement Omullo was elected the deputy secretary-general succeeding Oyoo.
Knut top organ held a meeting on August 29 this year where they denounced Sossion as the unions’ secretary-general but the matter ended up in court.
The war has seen Knut not receive Sh140 million from TSC that has grounded activities.
Sossion and KNUT chairman Omucheyi
For now, those in national office out to fight Sossion are Omucheyi, Matiang’i, deputy secretary general Hesborn Otieno and a number of the national steering committee.
During a meeting to oust Sossion held at a popular Kilimani joint in Nairobi and attended by Nec officials who had traveled from upcountry that went for hours, money exchanged hands. By then, Sossion camp was also meeting.
Omucheyi camp is pushing Otieno to land the lucrative secretary general slot. Insiders say that Sossion enjoys support of branch officials but is isolated at the national office. The removal of the nominated MP was based on the letter and motion dated August 7 2019. That is the meeting that was stopped by the court. The meeting was based on a request that was placed on August 27, and which according to one Knut official, met all the conditions set by the Knut constitution.
While Knut gears to hold the annual delegates conference daggers have already been drawn.
The anti-Sossion forces using powerful people in government had the registrar of trade unions EN Gicheha communicate the change of officials at Knut through a letter addressed to Sossion. It forced Sossion to write back to Gicheha threatening to institute contempt of court proceedings against her.
Through his lawyer J A Guserwa and Company Advocates, Sossion warned the registrar of legal action unless she withdrew the changes.
“We are surprised to learn that your office has purported to register change of office, whereas the Employment and Labour Relation’s Court in case number 569 of 2019, Wilson Sossion vs Wycliffe Omucheyi and 40 others had stopped the meeting that was scheduled to take place on August 29,” read the letter.
“Take notice that unless the change of officers is removed and/or withdrawn, we shall move to court to cite you for contempt,” Sossion’s lawyers warned as they moved to High Court.
Last week, as the war intensified, Weekly Citizen was handed confidential documents implicating top Knut officials in multimillion allowances scams, fake imprests, suspicious salary payments and sex scandals.Read the scandals next week
