Behind the Scenes Negotiations: How the Dramatic KUPPET-TSC Strike Suspension Deal Was Made.
A week after KUPPET and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) reached a deal to call off the teachers’ strike, details of the complicated discussions and behind-the-scenes conflicts have been revealed.
On September 2, KUPPET proclaimed the end of the two-week work boycott. The strike resulted in the release of most public school students.
According to information acquired from multiple sources, a series of meetings resulted in the lockout of some important union executives deemed to be hardliners.
The drama reportedly began in the morning of the fateful day, when Secretary-General Akelo Misori, National Treasurer Njenga Mwethi, and Gender Secretary Catherine Wambilianga held private meeting with TSC CEO Nancy Macharia and Chairman Jamleck Muturi.
It is here that the two parties are claimed to have reached an agreement on some of the key concerns that sparked the strike.
Teachers were advocating for, among other things, the advancement of 130,000 teachers, the hiring of 46,000 JSS teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, and the payment of statutory deductions and loans.
They also sought full execution of their 2021-25 CBA, payment of all July emoluments, and the release of Sh15 billion for medical coverage.
Following this, the union officials went to a hotel on Mombasa Road for a follow-up meeting.
They were joined by Union Vice Chairman Julius Korir, Acting Secretary General Moses Nthurima, and Organizing Secretary Paul Maingi.
The meeting ended at midday with the resolution that only Secretary for Secondary School Education Edward Obwocha, who was absent, should be told about the forthcoming visit to the TSC offices.
Assistant National Treasurer Ronald Tonui, who serves on the National Executive Board (NEB), was noticeably excluded.
Around 1 p.m., Wambilianga contacted Obwocha to relay the meeting’s resolutions to Tonui, who agreed to meet at the same hotel.
The trio objected to the decision to call off the strike.
Tonui would eventually appear at the location, where he questioned the administrators over the exclusion of others.
He was instead told that TSC had been instructed not to involve him or Sammy Chelanga, the Secretary for Tertiary Institutions, in the bargaining process.
At this point, the team lead by Misori went to the TSC offices, where a press conference was scheduled to announce the conclusion of the strike.
Wambilianga is alleged to have stayed behind to continue conversations with Tonui. Chelanga later arrived to the hotel at 3 p.m., followed by Obwocha.
The four talked, and despite their worries, they decided to go to the TSC offices. At the offices, they discovered that preparations for a news conference had already begun.
Tonui reportedly wanted a signed copy of the press release. This resulted in a heated argument with NEB officials.
NEB argued that Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers were excluded from the KUPPET negotiations, with Macharia claiming that this was a presidential initiative that was not included in the talks.
Tonui’s insistence on a signed paper resulted in a hesitant agreement that incorporated additional teachers’ demands.
Despite objections, the news conference was held, during which KUPPET and TSC declared the suspension of the strike, effectively ending the heated negotiations.
When contacted, Tonui acknowledged that he was not invited to the negotiations with TSC.
“It is true some of us were excluded in the negotiation process. I received information from some members that TSC had instructions from above to have me locked out due to my stance on the matter,” he said.
Misori, however, did not return our calls or text messages regarding reports that some officials were excluded from the negotiation process.
Mwethi, for his part, denied the charges as baseless, saying “those are pure lies” and that none of the highest officials were exempt. He stated that those who claim not to have been involved are campaigning for the 2026 union elections.
Mwethi reported that all members of the NEB who were present at the time attended, except for the national chairman, who was bereaved.
He explained that on September 2, NEB members were supposed to meet at the headquarters for negotiations, but for reasons unknown to some, they elected to skip it.
He acknowledged that they went to the TSC in the morning for talks since they only wanted the top three to attend the meeting.
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Mwethi stated that they informed the parties involved that they would not proceed with the negotiations without the entire committee, as they wanted to be certain about the return-to-work formula. As a result, they reconvened and met with all the other members.
He provided a list of the 17 members that were present in the TSC boardroom before the press conference. It included eight TSC executives, chaired by the CEO, and nine union officials.
Branch officials around the country are now seeking explanations, describing the quick halt to the strike as a betrayal.
Behind the Scenes Negotiations: How the Dramatic KUPPET-TSC Strike Suspension Deal Was Made.
