Garissa teachers fault Sossion on staff crisis

Teachers in northern-eastern Kenya yesterday accused their union of contributing to the education problems in the region.

Garissa High School Principal Ibrahim Maalim Hassan said Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion was to blame for the decision by some teachers to shun the region.

“We held a meeting with Knut, the Teachers Service Commission and the ministry after a terrorist attack in north-eastern Kenya and agreed that teachers should report back to their working stations. However, Mr Sossion instigated a boycott. As a result, over 75 per cent of teachers refused to return,” he said.

He said Mr Sossion called for the boycott without carrying out adequate investigations.

“All private school teachers and civil servants in north- eastern Kenya are now back at work. Only Knut members have shunned the area,” he said, adding that Mr Sossion ignored the plight of thousands of students.

Mr Hassan said the education sector in the region was on the verge of collapse and accused the secretary-general of ignoring the plight of thousands of students.

Kenya Secondary School Heads Association’s regional chairman, Mr Mohammed Noor, said the closure of the Garissa University College and a number of other colleges in the region had adversely affected education.

He said there were many safe places where teachers could work. He urged the ministry to send teachers to those places.

The areas include El Wak, Takaba, Banisa, Ramu and Garissa North.

The leaders were addressing the press on the sidelines of the 40th Kessha annual conference being held in Mombasa.