Sossion fails to stop KNUT elections amid courtroom drama
National
By
Kamau Muthoni and Lewis Nyaundi
| Apr 04, 2026
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) elections took place amid intense legal battles and last-minute manoeuvres that nearly derailed the process, with two separate cases filed seeking to halt the polls.
The dispute began in Nairobi, where former Secretary-General Wilson Sossion and union member Martha Omollo moved to the Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELRC) seeking orders to stop the elections.
However, a last-minute ruling on Thursday evening allowed the process to proceed, paving the way for incumbent Secretary-General Collins Oyuu to seek a second consecutive term.
Oyuu was vying unopposed after the union successfully excluded Sossion and Omollo from the race. By Friday, vote counting was underway at Tom Mboya University, where the elections were held.
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Sossion and Omollo argued that they had not been listed for nomination and subsequent election, claiming interest in the union’s SG and deputy SG positions. They alleged the election venue was unsuitable and that they were illegally locked out.
Justice Jacob Gakeri dismissed their case, noting it was filed too late and casting doubt on Sossion’s membership claims.
He said neither petitioner provided evidence of union membership. “Having served in multiple KNUT leadership roles, the first petitioner must have been aware of nomination procedures,” he stated.Sossion, who registered with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) in 1993 and previously served as KNUT SG, resigned in 2021 after being deregistered in 2019. He argued a Court of Appeal ruling against his deregistration had not reinstated his name, yet he remained eligible to contest.
He also questioned holding the elections on a public holiday, arguing it would disenfranchise Christian delegates and raised security concerns, claiming the Kisumu venue was prone to violence.
Oyuu countered that Sossion failed to follow the official nomination procedure and had been deregistered as a teacher, making him ineligible. He added that the union had already paid for the venue and most branches prepared delegates. Similar challenges emerged in Kisumu, where George Anyona sought to stop the elections after allegedly being locked out of the Rarieda Sub-County branch race.
Justice Nzioki wa Makau initially granted a reprieve but later reversed it after KNUT outlined ongoing cases in other courts.