Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Collins Oyuu has accused his former boss, Wilson Sosion, of skimming to make a comeback to the union leadership.

Oyuu alleged that Sosion was using the name of President William Ruto in campaigning for his return to the helm of the teachers’ union during the election slated for next year.

He said that the move has created divisions in the union, with reports that Oyuu is being warned not to step foot in some regions perceived to be Sosion’s strongholds.

Following the warning, KNUT National Chairman Patrick Karinga asked the state to provide Oyuu a bodyguard for his safety in any region in the country.

“We are asking the state to provide our SG with a bodyguard to ensure his safety following threats against his life,” said Karinga.

However, Interior PS Dr Raymond Omollo, who was the guest speaker, avoided the topic.

Oyuu said Sosion’s leadership starved teachers of good pay and warned that teachers will not allow him to come back and destabilise the union’s leadership.

“This man left the union dead because of his confrontational and useless leadership, which did not bring anything to the table for the teachers,” said Oyuu.

Oyuu, who was addressing KNUT officials from the Nyanza region at Pride Inn Mombasa, said the teachers want a leader with a clear strategy to bring food to the table for them.

The SG explained that since he took over the leadership from Sosion, teachers had reaped a lot from the government because of his good leadership.

“Despite other emerging problems about the teachers, as teachers, we have managed to bring many good things to the table because of the strategy we have employed as a team,” said Oyuu.

He promised to continue engaging the government so that the demands of the teachers are addressed without being confrontational at the expense of the teachers and the children.

The KNUT boss was reacting to Sosion’s reported bid to be re-elected as KNUT SG during the union’s election next year.

He reminded the teachers that the union founder, SG, the late Ambrose Adongo, had advised them that for the union to succeed in its fight to bring food to the table, it must work with the government in power.

“As KNUT, ours is working with the government in power. Whoever is going around saying that he has been sent by the president to seek re-election as union SG is being misled,” said Oyuu.

Oyuu thanked President William Ruto for having shown keen interest in education, which made him employ 76,000 teachers within two years of his leadership.

“We have decided to work with President William Ruto because he is a man who has kept his promise about the employment of teachers,” said Oyuu.

“Before President William took over, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) was employing only 5000 teachers per year, but things have now changed. He has employed 76,000 teachers, and he will employ 24,000 next year. We hope by 2027 he will have employed 160,000 teachers,” said Sosion.

Omollo advised KNUT officials to continue fighting for the rights of teachers to enable them to get what they deserve as professionals.

The interior PS asked KNUT officials from the region to help President William Ruto to get a second term, as he had shown leadership since he took over in 2022.

Omollo, who received a standing ovation as he gave accounts of what President William Ruto had done in the education sector, promised to address the concerns raised in the meeting.

Among the concerns raised were claims that Sosion was going around using the president’s name to campaign for his coming as KNUT SG next year.

The PS said that since President Ruto took over, the culture of saving among Kenyans has improved, and very soon Kenya will not borrow money from international money lenders.

He cited the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), which had saved over 640 billion in the last two years only and is expected to have Sh1 trillion by 2027.

“With this kind of savings, instead of going to borrow an expensive loan from China, we will just go to NSSF to borrow what we want for development and later refund it without exorbitant interest,” said Omollo.

Omollo said President William Ruto is a transformative leader who wants to see the country develop to another level, which has never been seen.

He asked leaders from Nyanza to be focused and ensure President Ruto, who is doing much development in the region, is given a second chance to enable the region to get more development.

“We have a leader who is transforming the country for the betterment of Kenyans, and that is why we should help him get a second term,” said Omollo.

During his speech, Omollo was cheered as the two-term slogan was emitted from the officials who vowed to support a broad-based government in honour of the late Raila Odinga beyond 2027.