Kenya National Union of Teachers has called for extensive public participation in the housing levy proposal.

Addressing the press on Friday, Knut secretary general Collins Oyuu said he met the National Executive Council and demanded to know all the details of the levy.

“In summary, I want to say it was all about public participation. Let us get to know what is in this levy, how we can confront it and how we can now deliver the information to our members,” he said.

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He said it was ludicrous to go around opposing the levy without knowing what it entails.

Oyuu said the union will only oppose the levy once they grasp what it now means for them.

“We must sit and listen. We must be indicted properly on what will come from this levy,” he said.

Oyuu said there is currently a lot of crying in the council over the housing levy.

“What has been lacking is public participation,” Oyuu said.

Last week Thursday, several Knut officials from Trans-Nzoia called for an increase in salaries from the government before implementing the housing levy.

Led by Knut secretary George Wanjala, the group said they have not received any salary increment for the past five years yet they have loans to pay.

“We don’t need the government to save money for us. We are saving our money from corporative societies,” Wanjala said.

Negotiations between the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) on pay raises have resumed, with the KNUT reportedly pushing for a basic salary increase of 15 to 20%.

Knut is also optimistic that the non-monetary collective bargaining agreement (CBA) it signed with TSC in July of last year will be reviewed soon.

Collins Oyuu, Secretary-General of Knut, revealed that the union had held five meetings with TSC to address the issue, with a sixth scheduled to take place in the coming days.

Knut’s National Steering Committee will meet in Nairobi on Tuesday to fine-tune the proposals to be presented at the TSC meeting.

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Though Mr Oyuu declined to discuss the proposal’s specifics, multiple sources have indicated that the union was willing to accept any counter-proposal from the commission in order to appease its members who felt cheated by the “empty” CBA signed last year.

“I want to announce to teachers that the negotiations that were stopped on the salary increment under the watch of the former union leadership have now been re-opened,’ said Mr Oyuu.

He added: “I am engaging TSC properly to have the CBA that was signed reviewed, especially in relation to the salary component… I can assure you that we shall succeed,” said Mr Oyuu.

The union will also advocate for the advancement of deputy headteachers in educational institutions across the country.

Oyuu asked union members to be patient while speaking in Kericho County with the union’s first national vice chairman Stanley Mutai and National Executive Council member Malel Langat.

Teachers have accused Mr Oyuu’s team of hastily signing the CBA with TSC last year in order to legitimize its existence in the face of dwindling membership and financial resources.

“We are pushing for the appointment of deputy headteachers in schools as the majority of the learning institutions do not have the administrators who play a leading role in daily operations and discipline among students,” said Mr Oyuu.

The union only obtained an enhanced maternity leave, which was increased from 90 to 120 days, and paternity leave was pushed from 14 to 21 days as a result of the negotiations.

TSC CEO Nancy Macharia has also been accused of coercing trade unions into signing a skewed CBA to the detriment of public school teachers.

Mr. Oyuu stated that the current Knut leadership will work closely with various government agencies to ensure that the teachers’ needs are met.

Oyuu noted that it is impossible to successfully oppose the current government when serious issues concerning the welfare of the members (teachers) are at stake.

“We embrace alternative dispute resolution avenues in place of strikes that were often deployed by past union leadership,” said Mr Oyuu.

As a result of the commission’s ongoing battles with TSC, Knut members have been left out of salary increases and promotions, particularly in the last five years.

During Mr Wilson Sossion’s tenure as secretary-general, the union’s membership fell from 187,000 to 15,000 as a result of a long-running feud with TSC and the Ministry of Education, fueled by a slew of legal battles in the industrial court.

It also resulted in the union’s earnings plummeting from more than Sh147 million per month to Sh12,000 by the time he resigned from the union leadership.

Mr. Oyuu described his leadership style as diplomatic.

“Some people asked me whether I would fit into his (Sossion’s) shoes when we took over the leadership mantle last year. I kept asking which shoes because l have my own shoes that fit me well,” said Mr Oyuu.

Mr Sossion, on the other hand, stated over the weekend in Kericho that the current perks enjoyed by teachers are the result of his fight to have salaries raised and the working environment improved.

A commissioner who declined to be identified because he is not the union’s official spokesperson confirmed that the union had contacted TSC about the matter.

“It is true, the talks have been on between the commission and Knut, but lam not at liberty to discuss the details as that falls on the desk of the CEO,” said the commissioner.