Debate erupts over teachers' meeting with Ruto at State House

The recent meeting between teachers and President William Ruto at State House has sparked mixed reactions, with leaders and commentators divided over its intent and outcome.

Unionist and former Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion defended the meeting, dismissing claims that it was politically motivated.

Speaking during an interview on KTN Prime, Sossion stated that State House is a public institution where the Head of State is free to engage with citizens on matters of national importance.

“State House is the people’s institution, and people are free to engage the Head of State on key national issues at all times. It has never happened that teachers are privileged to have a high-level policy meeting with the president, like it happened,” he said.

Sossion further argued that the September 13 meeting was consistent with President Ruto’s 2022 campaign pledges to education stakeholders. 

Wilson Sossion: State House is the people's institution, and people are free to engage the head of state on key national issues at all times. It has never happened that teachers are privileged to have a high-level policy meeting with the president, like it happened. To me, the… pic.twitter.com/or2CQl7l1v

— KTN News (@KTNNewsKE) September 16, 2025

“To me, the event that happened was by design from what the president did in 2022 by negotiating and signing a charter with education stakeholders,” he added.

However, Advocate Willis Otieno took a contrasting view, criticizing the event as political theatre. 

He claimed that teachers were subjected to poor treatment, alleging that they were made to wait long hours without food before receiving Sh10,000 handouts.

“How can you have teachers meeting in State House and you give them Sh10,000 after spending a whole day and some of them the whole night without a meal? Yet you are not paying attention to the issue of what are we doing to improve our education system?” Otieno questioned.

He accused the government of reducing teachers to political pawns.

 “You bring them as props, photo ops to show people that you have support. It’s a shame,” he said.

The debate follows public outcry after images circulated online showing teachers queuing overnight at State House, raising concerns over whether the dignity of the teaching profession is being undermined in pursuit of political optics.