SOSSION: No career is superior to the other
Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Secretary General Wilson Sossion addressing journalists at a past event. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- You see, to inculcate your spirit in someone else is very hard, however, I am very proud of students who were inspired by my teachings, and our interactions and have succeeded.
- Be free and honest in your thinking, and do not give up in your aspirations. Identify your talents and passion early and work towards what you would want to be.
Tell us a little bit about yourself
I am a trained chemistry and agriculture teacher. I have taught in quite a number of schools for the last 24 years. I am a graduate of Egerton, Kenyatta and Moi Universities. I hold a bachelor of education in science, master’s of education in Education Leadership and Policy, and I am currently a PhD candidate at Kenya Methodist University pursuing a PhD course in Education Management and Leadership.
What were you doing at 21?
That was in 1989 after my A-Levels. I was a freshman at Egerton University. My immediate passion was to become an extension officer. In late 1989, I began teaching and that is when I discovered my talent in teaching.
Which one of your attributes do you owe your success to?
My communication skills. I am a good communicator. It’s a skill that I continue to nurture, even today. I was a member of performing arts under the language department at Egerton University. This exposed me to the world of creative thinking and problem solving. This made me very innovative, original and a free-thinker. I have sustained independent thinking by being free and truthful.
Advice to young people who look up to you?
You see, to inculcate your spirit in someone else is very hard, however, I am very proud of students who were inspired by my teachings, and our interactions and have succeeded.
Be free and honest in your thinking, and do not give up in your aspirations. Identify your talents and passion early and work towards what you would want to be. No career is superior to the other. The time has come when the society is appreciating every career.
Do you have mentors?
I have many mentors, especially those involved in the struggle, locally and internationally. Jomo Kenyatta inspires me, I keep reading his books. Colonial and political struggle is the same spirit required in labour movement.
The first KNUT secretary general (1957-1979), Stephen Joseph Kioni – the father of teachers’ struggle in Kenya – inspires me. He started the first KNUT headquarters in Ruiru without union dues.
Internationally, I emulate the leadership skills and ideologies of great men like Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Adolf Hitler.
List your Top Five secrets to success
• My trust in God and leading a prayerful life.
• Not giving up.
• Being clear in my mind and selflessness since I live for the society.
• Negotiating with my conscience.
• Speaking the truth to power, even when no one supports my view.
Books you have read so far?
I extensively read literature books, and books about the struggle, especially by Chinua Achebe and Prof Ngugi wa Thiong’o. But I love reading biographies of Adolf Hitler and Napoleon. I repeatedly read biographies of Mahatma Gadhi, and Nelson Mandela. For the labour movement, I read The ideologies of Marx and Engels. If we have weak labour movements, there will never be equity.
