TSC gazettes deregistration of Wilson Sossion as a teacher

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has now gazetted the deregistration of Kenya National Union of Teachers' (Knut) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion as a teacher.

“Pursuit to section 30 of the Teachers Service Commission Act, the Teachers Service Commission has removed the name of the individual named herein from the register of teachers,” reads the gazette notice signed by chief executive officer Nancy Macharia on Friday.

Ms Macharia said under the law, Mr Sossion cannot engage in teaching in any school.

TSC issued notice of deregistration to Mr Sossion in July this year and gave him 90 days to appeal the decision in bid to force him to relinquish his position at the giant trade union.

INCITEMENT

In the letter dated July 29 and addressed to Mr Sossion, the commission accused him of paralysing the competency-based curriculum forums in April in various counties and accepting nomination by Orange Democratic Party as an MP in 2017 contrary to TSC regulations.

The letter, which had been signed by Mary Rotich on behalf of the TSC chief executive officer, said Mr Sossion on April 6 this year incited teachers against the new curriculum at 11 centres — Kakamega, Bungoma, Kajiado, Kitui, Machakos, Garissa, Kisii, Nyamira, Vihiga and Kwale.

REACTION

However, Mr Sossion dismissed the decision.

“The deregistration as a teacher changes nothing,” he said.

The termination of his contract, he said, did not affect his rights as a union official under Article 34(A) of the Labour Relations Act.

Knut, in a statement on Twitter, has termed the gazettement illegal and discriminatory.

"The notice is illegal as the matter is active in court. It is also discriminative as there are many other union leaders who are serving Members of Parliament," the tweet addressed to its members read.