Knut second vice chairman Wycliffe Etole Omucheyi will be confirmed as the national chairman on December 13 during the KNUT 60th annual conference in Mombasa, the union has said.
Secretary General Wilson Sossion said leadership in the union is apportioned as per region.
He said the chairman position is moving to Western Region and Omucheyi was naturally the leader to become chairman.
"He has the means and minimum threshold to be Knut chair. I have no doubts whatsoever delegates will confirm him as chair in December," Sossion said at the Knut headquarters in Nairobi.
Sossion said the position of first vice chairman is also vacant and will be occupied by an individual from central kenya region.
If Omucheyi is confirmed, the second vice chairman position will also be vacant and will revert to Coast region.
"We expect delegates from those regions to give us competent individuals who can be voted into those positions," he said.
Omuchei currently chairs the vihiga branch. Last week he was also made the acting national chairman after outgoing chairman Mudzo Nzwili was sent on terminal leave six months before he officially retires in April.
Yesterday Omucheyi said he joined Knut leadership in 1992 and joined the National executive council in 2002.
"With that experience I believe I have grown in the ranks of the union. I now present myself to Kenyan teachers and present my candidature for national chairman," Omuchei said yesterday.
He promised to support Sossion.
"I will support you and I will create a viable environment for you to work," he said.
Sossion said outgoing national chairman Mudzo Nzwili took terminal leave according to the union constitution.
He said the union has practiced this tradition since 1967 and it is embedded in the union constitution .
However, Sossion said any other official from Western region could present themselves as candidate for chairman's position but doubted anyone could match Omuchei's credentials.
He claimed Nzwili had graciously accepted the terminal leave.
"In the union we have an orderly way of passing leadership. The constitution has to be enforced," he said.
He noted that it’s a tradition for by-elections to be held while officers are on terminal leave.
Sossion and Nzili have previously been entangled in leadership wrangles of the giant teachers’ union which have occasionally led to the duo taking contradictory stands during teachers’ strikes.
The Knut boss clarified that Nzili's exit plan was being executed in line with the Knut constitution which requires union officials to leave office upon attaining 60 years.
He said Nzili’s vice-chairman Samson Kaguma has also been sent on terminal leave ahead of his retirement on April 2 next year. Nzili will retire on May 16.
"Their positions shall be filled in a by-election during the 60th Annual Delegates Conference. Brother Wycliffe Etole Omucheyi shall assume office as the Acting National Chairman precisely on 16th November and preside over the 60th ADC," Sossion said.
Omucheyi is the second vice-chairman of the union.
He said officials in al KNUT branches countrywide must stick to the provision of the KNUT Constitution on retirement noting that their shall be no negotiations when one reaches the retirement age.
He said there have been historical incidents where some officials falsified documents to change their retirement ages.
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