Embattled Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion has quit.
Sossion made the announcement on Friday, June 25, allegedly after sustained opposition from teachers.
Wilson Sossion said: “I bow out of KNUT as the Secretary-General. I shall remain loyal to KNUT and will always be available to advise and support the leadership of the union,” he stated.
Sossion who was nominated by the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) in 2017 to represent workers interests in the National Assembly was at the helm of KNUT for 17 years.
Sossion has been facing opposition from all quarters, with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) under CEO Nancy Macharia pushing to remove his name from the list of teachers.
The former leader has recently fallen out with grassroots KNUT officials in Homa Bay and Kericho among other areas.
Teachers from Homa Bay on May 19 accused Sossion of interfering with the delegates’ numbers from the county ahead of elections of national office bearers.
They claimed that Sossion had reduced the number of special delegates from the county to take part in the national election.
The unionists accused Sossion of being unfair to the branch delegates.
Some members of the union’s National Executive Council, argued that Sossion should not defend his seat because he had been de-registered by TSC.
“The Teachers Service Commission has de-registered Sossion from the list of teachers. This means he is a stranger in the teaching profession and should not contest any seat in the union,” the said.
More to follow