Former Wilson Sossion’s bid to stop the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) elections has hit a major snag after the Labour Relations Court rejected his application to bar certain individuals from participating in the election and also to halt the process until all KNUT branches and councils are fully constituted.
The court ruled on Wednesday, April 1, that the union can carry on with its election and choose a new Secretary General as scheduled.
Sossion had moved to court to bar some individuals from participating and to halt the elections until all branches and councils are fully constituted, citing that the elections would not be fair without this process.
However, Justice Jacob Gakeri ruled that the union constitution already addresses such matters and that Sossion did not give sufficient reason for the court to make a ruling on the matter at this time. The judge noted that “the foundation of the application, namely nomination and eligibility, is already well provided for by the constitution of the association.”
The KNUT officials have been opposing Wilson Sossion’s application on the basis that the process was done as scheduled and in line with the KNUT constitution, and thus halting it would be an interference with the democratic process.
This is a major boost for them, especially considering that they have scheduled an election and intend to pick a new Secretary General.
This ruling is a major relief for the current Secretary General, Collins Oyuu, who has been under serious criticism from Wilson Sossion over his bid to bar him from re-election. Oyuu was elected to the position in June 2021 and replaced Sossion, who was the Secretary General for close to a decade.
Earlier, Oyuu had asked Sossion to stay out of the union affairs, citing that former leaders should not “recycle” themselves into positions that no longer exist for them.
With this ruling, KNUT is now free to hold its elections and choose a new Secretary General, keeping the focus on a smooth and transparent leadership transition.