A section of teachers in Migori County has declared an open war against the leadership of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), accusing them of misusing members’ contributions and neglecting pressing welfare concerns.

The rebellion comes at a time when Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers across the country are intensifying calls for administrative separation from primary schools, giving the dissenting Migori faction additional leverage in their campaign.

Speaking to the media after meeting JSS teachers in Migori town, Mr Ken Boro, a teacher making his second bid for the position of branch executive secretary, decried the poor state of leadership at the county branch.

“Every month, we contribute part of our salaries to the union yet our issues are ignored. Promotions are blocked, transfers are used as punishment and our concerns never reach Nairobi,” lamented Boro, who lost narrowly to the incumbent Orwa Jasolo in the last election.

Boro now leads a movement dubbed “Team Reformists” that has launched a countywide campaign to, as he puts it, “save the union from self-serving officials.”

From Nyatike to Kuria, the reformists are demanding a forensic audit of the branch’s financial records, alleging widespread irregularities in procurement, missing receipts and welfare projects that exist only on paper.

“Our forefathers fought for better pay and an end to delocalisation. Today’s leaders are busy protecting their allowances while those gains disappear,” said Kenneth Obiero, who is vying for the position of assistant executive secretary.

Teachers claim the branch has become a cartel in which ordinary members have no voice and where national negotiations yield little benefit.

“They have served a full term with nothing to show except personal fights for positions,” Boro told the gathering, adding that JSS teachers have been completely abandoned in their fight for autonomy.

In schools where JSS and primary sections are merged, teachers face numerous challenges – from reporting to primary head-teachers to lacking laboratories and being underpaid despite holding university degrees.

Across the country, JSS teachers have held protests in Nairobi, Mombasa and Embu, demanding immediate separation from primary schools. The so-called reformist team in Migori has made this issue a central part of their campaign, promising to lead the fight for reforms if elected.

The 2-6-3-3-3 education system, introduced in 2017, created Junior Secondary (Grades 7-9) as a distinct level. However, when Grade 7 learners joined in 2023, the government placed them in primary schools due to a lack of infrastructure and funding.

As a result, many primary head teachers, some with only diploma qualifications, were elevated as JSS heads by default. Degree-holding JSS teachers now work under principals with limited experience in secondary-level teaching.

Funding continues to follow primary school budgets, leaving JSS classes without laboratories, workshops or playing fields. Teachers report increased workloads, delayed promotions, and meagre stipends, with some JSS intern teachers still earning Ksh17,000 per month.

By mid-2025, protests and legal petitions against the Education Cabinet Secretary and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) had spread nationwide. While KUPPET’s national office promised support, many members argue that little tangible action has been taken.

In Migori, this perceived silence has become Boro’s strongest campaign message. Bernard Bonyo, a candidate for vice chairperson, called on TSC to absorb all JSS intern teachers into permanent and pensionable terms.

“There is enough money in the education budget to hire them permanently. Their contracts end in December, and TSC must give a clear roadmap,” Bonyo insisted.

As the branch election draws near, Migori County is witnessing a fierce contest between the old guard and a new generation of reformists determined to restore the union’s original mission, service to teachers.

Migori KUPPET elections, scheduled for January 2026 are unfolding against a backdrop of national unrest within the union. Nomination fees for top posts have soared to Ksh500,000, proposed constitutional amendments are under court injunction, and Secretary-General Akelo Misori faces criticism for failing to act decisively on issues surrounding the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

Neither Misori nor Jasolo has publicly responded to the allegations. A source close to the branch leadership dismissed the allegations as “typical election-time rhetoric.”

Boro, however, insists that his earlier defeat was a valuable learning experience. His campaign rallies, drawing large crowds of young teachers and JSS interns in Suna East, Uriri and Sori, have turned into platforms for discussing transparency, accountability, and leadership renewal.

The executive secretary’s race has also attracted Maurice Otunga, the current branch chairperson and once a close ally of Jasolo, who has now turned into a fierce rival.

Joyce Lucia Lunani, a teacher from Nyatike vying for assistant treasurer, said teachers were tired of opaque financial management and unfulfilled promises.

“This election is about service, not titles. We deserve leaders who can account for every shilling deducted from our pay. Members’ welfare projects exist only on paper, that must change,” she said.

The growing discontent among Migori teachers mirrors wider unrest within KUPPET across several counties, where members are increasingly demanding accountability, transparency, and genuine representation.

As the countdown to the January elections continues, the contest between entrenched leadership and rising reformists is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched union races in recent years.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Polycarp Ochieng and Makokha Khaoya