Teachers meet this week for their annual general meeting that will also serve to fill the post of national assistant treasurer to be left vacant by retiring Richard Kibagendi. But even as teachers converge for the yearly ritual, word doing the rounds among the people of the chalk is that the die is cast and post is as good as filled because teachers have already identified Samuel Nyairo as the man to take the mantle from Kibagendi. By late last week, Nyairo was reportedly in control of over 80pc of Eastern, 98pc of Nairobi, over 70pc of Nyanza, Central and Rift Valley with Coast and North Eastern said to be 50-50.
Those who have been following the campaigns say that Nyairo started pulling clear of his rival John Matiangi when it was discovered that Matiangi is allegedly a government project being fronted by his brother cabinet secretary Fred Matiangi. With the teachers still unpaid for the month of November, teachers want to hear nothing of Matiangi whom they say will be used by the government to guard its interests which are always athwart those of teachers. Teachers are also still agitated that the government has been negotiating with them in bad faith as it had other cards which it had hidden under the table.
That teachers are not happy with the government is illustrated by the fact that even teachers in the Jubilee stronghold of Central are rejecting the government’s preferred candidate. In Nyanza which is the opposition bedrock, it is said, teachers are revenging on the government by voting Nyairo to teach Matiangi a lesson. Nyanza has 342 delegates, Eastern 409, RV 538, Coast 140 and NEP 40. With voting depending on regional representation, delegates will automatically go where their NECs go.
On sensing defeat, Gusii luminaries in government have been meeting to raise funds to rescue Matiangi. There are even claims that the luminaries have tried to compromise a Knut top official to help Matiangi.
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