Knut defies court orders to press on with elections
Education
By
Lewis Nyaundi and Mike Kihaki
| Apr 03, 2026
Knut SG Collins Oyuu speaks to journalists at Tom Mboya Labour College on April 2, 2026. [Michael Mute, Standard]
Drama, court battles, and a looming standoff have defined the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) elections, scheduled to start yesterday.
On Monday, the Employment and Labour Relations Court sitting in Kisumu issued orders stopping the exercise, even as union officials insisted the process would continue.
In a case filed by George Anyona Arek against the union Nairobi branch and the Registrar of Trade Unions, Justice Nzioki wa Makau restrained the respondents from conducting or facilitating the nominations or elections.
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However, Knut Secretary General Collins Oyuu said the election process would proceed, arguing that the order came after the nomination exercise had been concluded.
“I was notified of the order by a Labour officer, but by that time, I was no longer the secretary general. I am just a contestant because I was given the nomination at 8.30 am on Thursday,” said Oyuu.
Yesterday, the union allowed all eligible candidates to present their papers at the Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu. The election will usher in a new leadership team for the 2026–2031 term.
Candidates who want various positions at KNUT undergo nomination process at Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu. [Michael Mute, Standard]
Deputy Secretary General Hesbon Otieno, who addressed the press after inspecting the venue, said the union was prepared.
“The day has come, as we have highly anticipated, for Knut to have the national elections,” he said.
Otieno confirmed that delegates had started arriving, with about 2,300 representatives from 110 branches expected.
Oyuu has emerged as the sole contender for the powerful secretary general position after his expected challenger, his predecessor Wilson Sossion, failed to present his nomination papers.
Sossion had earlier indicated that he would contest the position despite a court ruling that failed to reinstate his teacher registration.
The unfolding developments now set the stage for a potentially contentious election, with questions emerging over whether the union will comply with the court order and the implications if the process proceeds despite the temporary injunction.
The union also boasts of the recruitment of over 76,000 teachers, while an additional Sh2.4 billion was allocated in the 2025/26 financial year to support further hiring.
In an interview with the Standard, Oyuu prides of making significant changes in teachers' welfare.
Oyuu said unions have also pushed for teachers to benefit from the government’s affordable housing programme after a commitment by William Ruto that public servants would receive allocations from the project.
“During our meeting with President Ruto last year, he promised teachers that, as the greatest contributors to tax, they would be allocated a portion of the housing programme. That is what we are pushing for to give tutors decent housing,” said Oyuu.
He said that in the last five years, the union efforts have increased recruitment of teachers to address shortages in schools, particularly after the rollout of the Competency-Based Curriculum.
The union also boasts of the recruitment of over 76,000 teachers, while an additional Sh2.4 billion was allocated in the 2025/26 financial year to support further hiring.