Video of Sonko, Nzili meeting goes viral

Did Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko ‘midwife’ the end of the teachers’ strike last week?

A video posted on YouTube shows the Senator giving a ‘legal opinion’ to Kenya National Union of Teachers acting Secretary-General Mudzo Nzili.

In the same video, Sonko warns Mr Nzili that his only choice was to agree with the government offer and avoid civil jail which as hanging over Knut officials during the strike. The Senator promises to act as a go-between to ensure Knut officials and all teachers are “free and safe.”

Teachers called off their strike last week on Wednesday following negotiations with Deputy President William Ruto. They were given Sh16.2 billion to settle their commuter allowances in two phases.

However, an industrial court had ruled earlier that the strike be called off and negotiations go on to avoid disadvantaging public school pupils.

Knut disobeyed the order and their employer, the Teachers Service Commission, went to court to have Knut officials committed to civil jail for contempt of court.

But it now appears the last-minute call-off, which came three hours after the government closed down schools was a road teachers were told to travel on.

The road was supposedly engineered by Sonko who invited Nzili for “lunch” at the Intercontinental Hotel but then bugged the venue with cameras. That is where Nzili scored an own goal, agreeing to the demands of Sonko for a five-point proposal in exchange for a contempt-of-court case withdrawal.

Sonko himself says he was not surprised that the video was recorded.

But Nzili appeared on NTV Tonight on Wednesday evening to “clarify” that he was only “expressing my feelings” with a friend.

“In very good faith, when you are invited by a person you have known and you have no issue against him and he has no issue against you, you go,” he told NTV Tonight. He could not remember the day or date but he understands it was “shortly” before the strike was called off.

“We were mentioning issues of the day, because when you are on strike, you meet a friend, he will ask you, ‘how are you going on with the strike?”, he would want to know.”

On Wednesday, Nzili was asked by our reporters to explain whether he had sneaked out on his Knut steering committee with which he was negotiating the teachers’ deal. And remained firm, arguing the “lunch” had no impact on the direction of negotiations.

“In my own understanding, I was sharing my experiences, my feelings, with a person who I would have trusted and who I still trust. I cannot discern the motive behind those video tapes.”

“The person and the people who midwifed our negotiations was the Labour Cabinet Secretary, Mr Kimemia, and thereafter the Deputy President William Ruto. These were done in full glare of the lights and I was with the Steering committee because we never negotiate as individuals.”

Knut, despite calling off the strike, was still fined Sh5 million as Nzili and his colleague Wilson Sossion were fined Sh500,000 each for disobeying a court order handed down three weeks earlier.

“I want to clarify here that he did not play any crucial role. He did not play any role, either major role or small role. Nothing like that.”

“If there are people to be given credit, is honourable Kazungu Kambi, mheshimiwa Kimemia (Secretary to the Cabinet Francis Kimemia) who in our own understanding is the person and they are the people who made headway towards our negotiations and final settlement.”

The video shows the two sitting at a table, with Nzili eating what looks like a fruit salad.

Sonko picks a call on his mobile as Nzili opens up a book to write something. Nzili agrees but adds that they would only call off the strike as long as they are “safe and free.”

Sonko offers five suggestions suggestions that Knut calls off the strike, that they would not be committed to civil jail and that negotiations would continue and that no teacher would be sacked and all teachers would get their pay.

“If you accept all that, we are done!” Sonko is heard telling Nzili. Sonko boasts that he has handled many cases before including MRC in which he bailed out its leaders. Nzili insists that he wants the case wound up before they call off the strike, but Sonko insists the court would first want to hear “our” position.

He prevails upon Nzili insisting that “this is the only” way to resolve the matter.