Knut chiefs fight bid to jail them

Photo/PAUL WAWERU | NATION
Mr Sossion and Mr Nzili leave the court after the hearing.

What you need to know:

  • Chairman and secretary general turn the heat on Kambi, accusing him of frustrating talks to end teachers’ job boycott
  • TSC, Kuppet, Kazungu and salaries team ordered to resume negotiations

A teachers’ lobby on Monday came out fighting and accused Labour Secretary Kambi Kazungu of frustrating talks to end the ongoing strike.

Mr Kazungu, Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) told the Industrial Court, had insisted it vacates Legal Notice 534 of 1997 and Legal Notice 16 of 2003 before the negotiations can be held.

Through lawyer Chacha Odera, Knut told Lady Justice Linet Ndolo that the position held by Mr Kazungu made it difficult for the meeting to proceed as Knut officials in attendance lacked the mandate to make such a decision.

“It is the Knut’s position that the decision to vacate any legal notice can only be done by a court of law or the National Executive Council of the union,” said Mr Odera.

He told the court that Knut had complied by sending representatives to the negotiation table.

The union accused Teachers Service Commission of introducing a new case seeking to commit its chairman Wilson Sossion and secretary-general Mudzo Nzili to civil jail yet the July 1 court order was directed at the teachers and not Knut or the two officials.

Mr Odera also defended Mr Sossion and Mr Nzili from being cited for contempt, saying that they did not have authority in their individual capacities to call off the strike, and that NEC, which had such powers, was not sued by TSC.

The lawyer explained that TSC was the one which should be found to have abused the court process since it had already deducted Sh10,000 from a few of the teachers who got their June salaries without the authority of the court.

But TSC told the court that the two Knut officials had powers according to the Knut constitution to convene NEC meeting and advise them appropriately. He said the two were served with the court orders stopping the strike and should therefore be found guilty of disobeying the court order. The hearing continues on Wednesay.