KNUT – Kenya National Union of Teachers

The Kenya National Union of Teachers – KNUT is the most active trade union in Kenya. When the union calls its members to action, the matter becomes a national topic and a government concern. KNUT is a formal Formal education system was introduced in Kenya in 1911, with the establishment of the department of education, headed by a director, assisted by a messenger.

It followed is experienced rapid developments, culminating in the opening of Kagumo Teachers College in 1932. Both Kagumo and Makerere in Uganda, trained high caliber African teachers, T2 and T1 who were able to work alongside Europeans, in intermediate and secondary schools, respectively. The issue of discrimination against, and mistreatment of African teachers, surfaced as early as 1934, and attempts were made to form the Kenya African Teachers Union (KATU). This was however thwarted by the colonial authorities.

Kenya National Union of Teachers – KNUT History

The teachers of this country were subjected to different terms and conditions of service by the many employers they belonged to. The employers who included missionaries and local councils never allowed them to meet and exchange views. This kept them totally ignorant as regards their rights and therefore was seriously exploited by their masters. Despite the fact that they were kept in the dark, they slowly learned the need to form organizations still based on religious sect organized to the highest at the provincial level.

However, by 1934 Messrs. James Gichuru and Eluid Mathu formed a teacher’s organization known as Kenya African Teachers Union (KATU). This Union eventually fizzled away under the pressure of powers of the time. This was because it was very difficult to organize an effective national organization of workers at that time because of communication problems. It was not until the early fifties when Makerere and Kagumo Colleges produced a higher caliber of teachers, which teachers’ organizations began coming up because these teachers communicated after training and hence learned of the diversity of their terms and conditions of service.

They began by forming sectional or regional Teachers Organizations based on denominations or Provinces. E.g.:

1. Nyanza African Teachers Union (NATU);
2. Catholic African Teachers Association (CATA) both in Nyanza Province;
3. Rift Valley African Teachers Association (RATA);
4. Coast African Teachers Union (CATU);
5. Central Province African Teachers Union called Kikuyu Teachers Union (KTU)

Still, there was no way teachers could correspond with their counterparts in other Provinces. In 1955, one of the teacher’s leaders from Rift Valley Hon. Daniel T. Moi now the retired President of the Republic of Kenya was elected to the Legislative Council (Leg.co.) now called National Assembly. He later successfully moved a freelance motion in the house in 1957 that the Government should help the teachers of this country to form one national body. The Government accepted the motion.

This made the Minister for Education Mr. W.F. Coutts invite all leaders to a meeting in December 1957 at Pumwani D.E.B. School. At this meeting, one teacherâs organization called Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) was born. An Interim Central Executive Committee was set up with Mr. Ignatius Mkok as interim President and Mr. Stephen J. Kioni as interim Secretary-General. On 10th December 1958, the Central Executive Committee (C.E.C) convened the first Annual Conference at the Pumwani D.E.B. School. At this Conference, the KNUT Conference was ratified. The 1st National elections were held and Mr. Samwel Ayany was elected the 1st President and Mr. Stephen J. Kioni the 1st Secretary-General.

On 14th May 1959 KNUT was officially registered as A Trade Union.

The Growth and Further Development of the KNUT:

Even after the registration of KNUT as a Trade Union, no serious work could be done because Mr. Stephen Kioni who had been elected as Secretary-General was still a full-time teacher at Kilimambogo Teachers Training College. It was not until 1960 when Joseph Kioni resigned from teaching to devote his energy full-time to KNUT. He established the first KNUT Office in one of the garages in Ruiru Town without salary, since the Union had no funds to pay him.

That same year 1960 Mr. Samwel Ayany attended a World Confederation of Organisations of the Teaching Profession (WCOTP) Assembly in ROME where he got KNUT affiliated to WCOTP although he had been invited to attend as a representative of the Nyanza African Teachers Union (NATU). He made an approach for assistance to KNUT from WCOTP. The WCOTP accepted and undertook to pay Mr. S.J. Kioni part of his salary. This was so until 1964 when the Union began realizing some money from members through a check-off system.

Policy And Demands:

Soon after setting up offices, the Central Executive Committee, which later became the National Executive Council, met and issued the first policy demands, which included:-

1. A single Employer for all teachers.
2. Unified Terms and Conditions of Service.
3. Free Pension for all teachers.
4. Provision for negotiating machinery.
5. Pay rise for all teachers in all grades.
6. Responsibility allowance for all posts of responsibility.
7. Abolition of the Colonial Code of Discipline.

The government responded by appointing the Lawrence Sagini Commission to look into the demands of KNUT.

After prolonged negotiations, KNUT rejected the recommendations of this Commission. The government then appointed another body called the Teachers Salaries Commission. Whose recommendations were not very different from the Lawrence Commission. Here, the KNUT resolved to stage token strikes.

In 1961, went for Labour studies in the USA and James K. Njoroge acted as Secretary-General. The same Njoroge became the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education.

The Token Strikes:

These strikes were staged selectively in a number of branches to test the Unions’ capability in organizing a strike. There were two token strikes staged as follows:-

(a) 19th – 20th March 1962 covered the following branches – Nairobi, Nyeri, Mombasa, Kilifi, Baringo, South Nyanza, and North Nyanza.

(b) 26th – 27th March 1962 – Machakos, Kiambu, Murang’a, Taita, Nakuru, kisii and Central Nyanza.

Both strikes were successful and encouraging, but the colonial government did not yield to the demands.

Kenya National Union of Teachers – Aims and Objectives of the KNUT

KNUT was founded as both a trade union and a professional organization, to unite all teachers of Kenya and look after their welfare and professional interests.  In the process, the KNUT also promotes educational development generally, and the teaching profession, in particular. The aims and objectives of the Union are contained in Article II of its constitution and fall into seventeen clauses.  An analysis of the clauses reveals that they fall into five functional areas, namely:

•    Uniting teachers of all grades, and providing a forum for their cooperation, and cooperation with members of similar unions and bodies within and outside Kenya;
•   Fighting for improved terms and conditions of service for teachers, protecting teachers’ interests as workers generally – including legal representation in disputes.
•  Promoting programs aimed at improving teachers’ welfare or socio-economic status;
•  Contributing, directly or through teachers, or members, to professional work in teaching and development of education services in Kenya.
•  Mobilization of resources and acquisition of assets and funds, to ensure the effective functioning of the Union, for the benefit of the members.

Kenya National Union of Teachers – Nation Wide Strikes:

The Four Strikes between 1962 and 1969:

a) The first strike: 18th September – 11th October 1962
This was a nationwide strike with the results that:

(i) The government appointed a joint consultative and negotiating committee under the chairmanship of Mr. W. Rogers of Nairobi University, and the Union effectively put the case to the satisfaction of Mr. Rogers who resigned as a result of the governmentâs refusal to implement the findings of this committee.
(ii) From 1st January 1963 – the government accepted to introduce Check-Off-System for the collection of union dues. It was effected in 1964.

(iii) 1965 – the establishment of a Teachers Service Commission under the chairmanship of Hon. Joseph Gatuguta and Mr. Solomon Adagala as Secretary. The commission was disbanded because of the pressure from KNUT – the KNUT did not accept the way it was constituted.

After the disbanding of the ill-constituted teacher’s commission, the KNUT again threatened countrywide strike action and the Minister for Labour responded by appointing a Board of Inquiry. The Board was chaired by Mr. S.N. Waruhiu, a Nairobi advocate and Rev. Andrew Hake and a teacher Yusto Nyamolo Okal as its members.

The Board recommended a framework favorable to the teachers, but again the government refused to implement its findings. The KNUT was then ready for a second nationwide strike in 1965.

b) The next three strikes

i) The second national strike took place from 11th October 1965. The strike was short-lived because it was promptly declared illegal by the government. As a result, union officials were arrested by the government. However, after the Minister for Labour referred the grievances to the industrial court, the government withdrew the cases against the KNUT officials. The key issue that remained unresolved was that of one employer for all teachers throughout. The KNUT had by now realized that by having one properly and legally constituted employer, all of her demands could be negotiated with the employer. As this issue remained unresolved, there arose a need for yet another national strike a year later.

ii) The third national strike took place from 1st to 3rd November 1966. A brief but very historic act, that the government responded positively by accepting to establish the Teachers Service Commission. The TSC was established through a bill tabled in parliament by the then Minister for Education the Hon. Jeremiah Nyagah.

The TSC Act chapter 212 of the Laws of Kenya thus established the TSC as the sole employer for all teachers in public schools in Kenya. The bill having been passed in 1966 the TSC became operational from 1st July 1967.

Subsequent and very significant development included:

• The establishment of Teachers Service Appeals Tribunal.
• The signing of the TSC/KNUT Recognition Agreement in May 1968.
• The appointment Act of 1968 gave the government more direct control over education thereby loosening the missionary grip over schools.

Thus the KNUT had succeeded in establishing competent organs for negotiating all forms of demand for teachers.

Future differences were from than expected to be mainly on implementation and details and not very fundamental issues.

iii) The fourth strike was staged from 4th to 11th November 1969. After the creation of the Teachers Service Remuneration Committee (TSRC), the KNUT and TSC used the Committee to negotiate several issues that teachers had been raising over the years. After protracted negotiations, the TSRC presented its recommendations to the Minister as provided for under the TSC Act. However, the Minister was not willing to implement most of the recommendations made by the TSRC and that is what led to the 1969 national strike. As a result of the strike, the Minister agreed to implement the recommendation of the TSRC.

These four major strikes established the KNUT as an effective voice of teachers and from then on the employer and government accepted the broad principle of negotiating at length all issues raised by teachers through the Union. An effective grievance procedure has since been well established, and several issues negotiated and settled without recourse to strike action. Through such negotiations, the KNUT has recorded numerous achievements for teachers as will be apparent in subsequent sections.

In 1965 a BOARD OF INQUIRY was formed to look into Terms and Conditions of Service for Teachers.

The government refused to implement the recommendations of the Board of Inquiry. This led the KNUT to threaten a strike demanding for one employer in 1966. The then President of KNUT the late JOB ROB betrayed the Union. This caused his expulsion from the Union by the Advisory Council on 29th October 1966. The Advisory Council recalled Mr. David Mulindi who was then 1st Vice President to return from DENMARK to take over KNUT as President. The strike eventually took place on 1st November 1966. The following day, all Union officials were arrested.

Mr. Mulindi arrived on 13/11/1966 and went to CID Headquarters offering to be arrested alongside his colleagues. The government later released the Union officials and withdrew all charges against them. As a result, Mr. J. Nyagah the then Minister for Education rushed a bill in Parliament of Teachers Service Commission. On 1st July 1967, the Teachers Service Commission and KNUT signed Recognition Agreement. In the year 1969, Mr. Kioni was jailed and Mr. E.J. Nyoka acted as Secretary-General. In 1970 December, Mr. Ambrose Adeya Adongo was elected the second KNUT Secretary General defeating Mr. Nyoka.

In August 1973 KNUT hosted a WCOTP Assembly at Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) at which All African Teachers Organisation – AATO was born. Mr. Ambrose A. Adongo was elected its first President, a post he held until his death. In 1982 – 1983, KNUT started leadership training. On 2nd March 2001 Mr. Ambrose Adongo died. On 20th June 2001 Mr. F. M. Ng’ang’a was elected the third KNUT Secretary-General.

Kenya National Union of Teachers – Major Constitutional Changes in KNUT

• In 1965 the KNUT Constitution was revised to allow KNUT to affiliate to COTU, to allow the KNUT to change the title of the President to National Chairman, and also to enable the Union to subject its Secretary-General to an election like it was in other Trade Unions.
• In 1967 all Unions were prohibited from international affiliations but KNUT alone was allowed its affiliation with the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession (WCOTP) as a professional body by the government.
• In 1982, there was a major amendment to include a women representative in the National Executive Council (NEC) and the Branch Executive Committee (BEC).
• In 1992 the post of School Representative was created.

Kenya National Union of Teachers Leadership – Secretary Generals

KNUT Secretary General – Stephen Kioni (1958-1969)

Having been elected the first secretary-general in 1958, Stephen Kioni established the first Knut office. It was located in a garage in Ruiru town, a 30-minute drive from Nairobi. It was a personal sacrifice for Kioni, as Knut didn’t have money to pay him any salary. The office made it possible for the Central Executive Committee then (now the National Executive Council) to meet and make its first policy demands to the Government. Knut’s major interest was to have a single employer of teachers so that their terms and work conditions could be harmonized, and to centralize the handling of their affairs.

The rest of the demands were as follows:

1. Free pension for all teachers
2. Pay rise for teachers in all grades
3. Responsibility allowance for all posts of responsibility
4. Abolition of the Colonial Code of Discipline.

These demands led the Government to form what became known as Lawrence Sagini Commission, to advise on the way forward. Knut rejected the proposals that the commission came up with. The Government established another body to look into the teachers’ demands. The Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) was created. TSC’s recommendations were hardly different from those offered by the Sagini commission. Knut rejected them. Its first strike was brewing.

Meanwhile, Ayany, the Knut president had made good use of an invite to attend the 1960 assembly of the World Confederation of Organisations of Teaching Profession (WCOTP) in Rome to push for Knut’s recognition. He had been invited in his capacity as an official of NATU, but his nationalistic views took precedence. He pushed for the affiliation of Knut to WCOTP. At the same time, he managed to secure funding from WCOTP, which came in the form of part payment of Kioni’s salary. This arrangement would continue until Knut started receiving its own money in 1964 through member contributions.

Before then, Knut had staged its first national strike in 1962. It started with two regional strikes to add pressure on the policy demands that the TSC had not, in the union’s view, satisfactorily handled. The regional strikes served to test the capacity of the union to stage industrial action. The first regional strikes were staged from March 19 to 20, 1962 in Nairobi, Nyeri, Mombasa, Kilifi, Baringo, North Nyanza, and South Nyanza. The second token strike ran from March 26 to 27 in Machakos, Kiambu, Murang’a Taita, Nakuru, Kisii, and Central Nyanza.

While the colonial government was not moved by the token strikes, they had been a good warm-up for the union as it prepared for a national strike. The first national strike by Knut Went on for almost a month. It started on September 18 and ended on October 11, 1962, after the Government yielded and appointed a committee. The action set off negotiations that would ultimately result in the Government accepting to introduce the check-off system for collecting union dues. The agreement was sealed on January 1, 1963, and the matter effected in 1964.

However, the demand for a single employer was still in contention. The TSC as formed in 1965 was disbanded under pressure from Knut, which had not accepted it as constituted, leading to the setting up of a Board of Inquiry by the Minister for Labour to settle the matter. The meetings led to a favorable constitution of TSC. The Government failed to implement it. Knut staged its second national strike on October 11, 1965, as a result. But it was short-lived as the Government promptly arrested union officials after declaring the strike illegal. They were later released. The intimidation did not deter Knut’s demands for a single employer. On November 1, 1966, Knut staged its third national strike.

It lasted three days, and the Government yielded to the formation of a favorable TSC, which was eventually established through an Act of Parliament following a bill tabled by Education Minister Jeremiah Nyagah. The TSC Bill was passed in 1966 and the subsequent Act provided for the establishment of TSC as the sole employer of teachers in Kenya’s public schools. TSC became operational on July 1, 1967. Part of the immediate Work was the formation of the Teachers Service Remuneration Committee (TSRC) to iron out remuneration issues that Knut had raised in its first policy demands. Negotiations went well, but the minister responsible declined to implement the recommendations of the TSRC.

That was in 1969, and on November 4 the same year, Knut staged its fourth strike to push the minister to implement the TSRC recommendations. The strike ended on November 11 after the minister yielded to the pressure. Ki0ni’s term as Knut secretary-general ended the same year after he was jailed and J.E. Nyoka took over in an acting capacity. The period had marked a strong beginning of Knut.

Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General – Ambrose Adeya Adongo (1970-2001)

Mr. Adongo Was elected Knut second secretary-general in December 1970, in a contest between him and Nyoka as the leading contenders. His 30-year term remains the longest by a single secretary-general to date. He is best remembered for his firm, fiery and unwavering leadership. It was he who led the 1997 teachers’ strike, which remains the most memorable to date, both for its intensity and the lasting impact it had. Many of the strikes that have followed since have had something to do with pushing the Government to implement one aspect or another of the 300 percent pay increase deal that Mr. Adongo had negotiated in 1997 on behalf of teachers.

While he was reputed for having perfected the art of arm—twisting the Government through vicious strike threats at crucial times, such as in periods heading to the country’s general elections, Adongo also spent a good amount of time building the capacity of the union. For example, Knut held leadership training in 1982 and 1983. Before that, the union had hosted the 1973 WCOTP Assembly in Nairobi. The assembly saw the birth of the All African Teachers Organisation (AATO), and Mr. Adongo was elected its first president.

Other notable capacity events during Mr. Adongo’s leadership include the 1982 amendment of the Knut constitution to include a Women representative in the National Executive Council (NEG) and in the Branch Executive Committee (BEG), and the 1992 creation of the post of school representative. Mr. Adongo died in March 2001.

Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary-General – Francis Ng’ang’a (2001-2008)

He had been Mr. Adongo’s deputy and was elected secretary-general of Knut in June 2001 following the death of his boss. A vocal person who would not hesitate to push across Knut’s perspective on policy issues on education, he kept the visibility of the union high. Like his predecessor, Ng’ang’a knew just when and how to Wield strike threats to push issues of interest to teachers. By the time he took over in 2001, the Government had gone slow in fulfilling part of the Remuneration of Teachers Order of 1997. The agreement had outlined how the teachers’ salaries and allowances would be improved gradually through to 2001.

When that did not happen, Ng’ang’a had to engage the Government in further negotiations. Through his stewardship, Knut organized a nationwide strike to push the Government to renew its commitment to the 1997 agreement, after Education Minister Henry Kosgey tried to scuttle it. That was in 2002, when it was agreed that the Government would spread the increments through 10 years. That period was reviewed in 2003 to six years after a series of meetings, and further down to five years in discussions held in 2007. The Government fulfilled the salaries increments under Schedule A of the 1997 agreement, but not the part dealing with allowances, marked Schedule B, which remains contentious to date. Mr. Ng’ang’a resigned in 2008, and Lawrence Majali took over.

KNUT Secretary General – Lawrence Majali (2008-2010)

Majali’s maiden speech on December 3, 2008, soon after winning elections to replace Ng’ang’a was basically a warning that the union was not going to sit pretty as the Government dragged its feet toward fulfilling part of the 1997 agreement. His term was not so eventful, nonetheless, apart from the July 2010 rejection of a 40 percent salary increment by TSC, with the demands that the increment is raised to 60 percent as had been earlier negotiated. In December the same year, he and his chairman, George Wesonga, were ousted unceremoniously at a delegates meeting in Mombasa. David Okuta, who had deputized him, took over as the Knut secretary-general pending elections.

KNUT Secretary General – David Okuta Osiany (2010-2013)

After acting as secretary-general from December 2010, Mr. Okuta was confirmed to the position in April 2011 after he won the elections. His charisma endeared him not only to teachers but also to the Government of Mwai Kibaki, who awarded him the Order of the Burning Spear on December 12, 2012, during Jamhuri Day celebrations in Nairobi. A few months earlier in September 2012, he had led Knut in pushing the Government to affect teachers’ salary increments through honoring the pending bits of the 1997 deal. The Government had made a four percent salary increment offer, which the union had declined and had gone on strike just as pupils prepared for national examinations. The ensuing negotiations had ultimately secured a 40 percent pay increase for teachers.

Okuda’s promising leadership was, however, cut short when he died on the night of April 2, 2013, after an on-and-off battle with illness in the earlier months. Xavier Nyamu, his deputy, took over in acting capacity. He was replaced by Mudzo Nzili. Tough-talking Knut chairman Wilson Sossion became the face of Knut as the union called teachers to strike on June 24, 2013. He is set to be elected secretary-general and Nzili national chairman.

KNUT Secretary General – Wilson Sossion

Kenya National Union of Teachers – Past Leadership

Frequently Asked Questions About Kenya National Union of Teachers

What are the major constitutional changes in the Kenya National Union of Teachers?

• In 1965 the KNUT Constitution was revised to allow KNUT to affiliate to COTU, to allow the KNUT to change the title of the President to National Chairman, and also to enable the Union to subject its Secretary-General to an election like it was in other Trade Unions.
• In 1967 all Unions were prohibited from international affiliations but KNUT alone was allowed its affiliation with the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession (WCOTP) as a professional body by the government.
• In 1982, there was a major amendment to include a women representative in the National Executive Council (NEC) and the Branch Executive Committee (BEC).
• In 1992 the post of School Representative was created.

What were The organs formed, sectional or regional Teachers Organizations based on denominations or Provinces before KNUT?

• Nyanza African Teachers Union (NATU);
• Catholic African Teachers Association (CATA) both in Nyanza Province;
• Rift Valley African Teachers Association (RATA);
• Coast African Teachers Union (CATU);
  Central Province African Teachers Union called Kikuyu Teachers Union (KTU)

Who is the current secretary-general of KNUT?

ough-talking Knut chairman Wilson Sossion became the face of Knut as the union called teachers to strike on June 24, 2013. He was later elected the secretary-general of KNUT

Kenya National Union of Teachers – Video