Origin and Founding of KNUT     
Formal education system was introduced in Kenya in 1911, with the establishment of the department of education, headed by a director, assisted by a messenger.  Thereafter, there followed rapid developments, culminating in the opening of Kagumo Teachers College in 1932.  Both Kagumo and Makerere in Uganda, trained high calibre African teachers, T2 and T1 who were able to work alongside Europeans, in intermediate and secondary schools, respectively.  The issue of discrimination against, and mistreatment of African teachers, surfaced as early as 1934, and attempts were made to form Kenya African Teachers Union (KATU).  This was however thwarted by the colonial authorities.

There were several reasons that made it necessary to form a teachers union but five most compelling ones were:-

1. To Look into the issue of salaries paid to African teachers  vis-à-vis European teachers teaching at the same level;
2. Harassment of teachers by supervisors and inspectors of schools, without reference to any ground rules;
3. Blatant racial discrimination in housing and allocation of duties, especially in boarding secondary schools;
4. Denial of certain basic rights (pension, leave, medical allowances etc) to teachers as workers.

    It took a long wait of nearly a quarter a century, from 1934 to 1957 before the bold teachers of the nineteen fifties succeeded in securing authority to found a teachers union and  on 4th December, 1957, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) was founded at a conference held at DEB School, Pumwani, in Nairobi.

Once launched in 1957, the KNUT discovered that the many grievances, of which five have been outlined, could not be addressed because the various employers were unwilling to come to a negotiating table.   KNUT was therefore forced to put pressure on the colonial government to establish, by legislation, one employer for teachers, with whom negotiations could be held.

The colonial government did not respond positively, and it took additional pressure, backed by a series of strikes, from 1962 to 1966, for the newly independent Kenya government to accede to the establishment of such an employer.  The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) was thus created by an Act of Parliament (Cap 212) in the late 1966, and became operational from 1st July, 1967.

Aims and Objectives of the KNUT
    The KNUT was founded as both a trade union and professional organisation, to unite all teachers of Kenya and look after their welfare and professional interests.  In the process the KNUT also promotes educational development generally, and the teaching profession, in particular.

    The aims and objectives of the Union are contained in Article II of its constitution, and falls into seventeen clauses.  An analysis of the clauses reveals that they fall into five functional areas, namely:

(i)    Uniting teachers of all grades, and providing a forum for their cooperation, and cooperation with members of similar unions and bodies within and outside Kenya;

(ii)    Fighting for improved terms and conditions of service for teachers, protecting teachers' interests as workers generally  including legal representation in disputes.

(iii)    Promoting programmes aimed at improving teachers' welfare or socio-economic status;

(iv)    Contributing, directly or through teachers, or members, to professional work in teaching and development of education services in Kenya.

(v)    Mobilization of resources and acquisition of assets and funds, to ensure effective functioning of the Union, for the benefit of the members.

Operational Organs and Structure
(a)    The KNUT has five constitutional organs of operations, namely:-

• Branch Executive Committee (BEC);
• Branch Annual General Meeting (AGM)
• Provincial Council (PC);
• National Executive Council (NEC);
• Annual Delegates Conference (ADC).

Those organs have a number of committees for ease of management of union affairs.  Brief notes on each organ are given.

(b)    The Branch Executive Council (BEC)
The union operates a branch network coincident with the administrative districts in Kenya.  Each branch is managed by a BEC composed of the branch Chairman, the Vice Chairman, the Executive Secretary, the Assistant Executive Secretary, the Branch Treasurer, the Assistant Treasurer, other members, not exceeding sixteen, elected by the Branch General Meeting with at least one Woman Representative.  BEC members are elected every five years.

(c)    Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The Branch Annual General Meeting is held at least once every year to determine branch policy and programmes for the ensuing year.  It also receives, discusses and approves branch budgets and financial reports.
 
(d)    The Provincial Council (PC)
The three top officials (Chairman, Executive Secretary and Branch Treasurer) from all the branches in the province, with members of the NEC in the province, form the Provincial Council (PC).  The main function of the PC is to deal with union and educational matters peculiar to that particular province.

(e)    The National Executive Council (NEC) 
(i)    The National Executive Council has a membership of 30 composed of:-

• Eight top elected officials, who also constitute the National Steering Committee;
• Twenty members distributed to the provinces and elected by the Annual Delegates Conference every five years;
• Two women representatives, elected by the Annual Delegates Conference.

(ii)    The NEC is the supreme authority and operational organ of the Union, which transacts the Union business between Annual Delegates Conferences and ensures that all policies and decisions of the ADC are executed.

(f)    Annual Delegates Conference (ADC)
(i)    ADC is held once every year, usually in December.  The branch delegates are nominated by the BEC from bona fide members of the union at the rate of one delegate for every one hundred members in the branch.

Other delegates are all the NEC members and union's representatives on National Statutory Boards Committees and Councils that deal with educational matters, and the Editor of Kenya teacher.

(ii)    The ADC is the supreme policy organ of the union, and to this end:-

• Determines the broad policies and programmes of the union;
• Delegates powers to the NEC to deal with detailed work of the union;
• Considers reports, budgets and audited accounts of the union.

(g)    It is worth pointing out that the union has steering committees at both the national and branch levels.

On the basis of the above analysis, the operational structure of the Union is as in the diagram below:-








           

           













KEY
ADC    -    Annual Delegates Conference
NEC    -    National Executive Council
PC    -    Provincial Council
AGM    -    Annual General Meeting
BEC    -    Branch Executive Committee

• Membership growth;
• Branch network;
• Budgetary outlay;
• Ramification of activities.