The Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition has received a major boost after the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) endorsed the Raila Odinga and Martha Karua presidential ticket.


The two unions announced their endorsement of the ticket on Wednesday during a breakfast meeting Karua had with over 300 teachers representing both unions in Kiambu.

While addressing the teachers, Karua underscored the importance of teachers in society and appreciated them for bearing the weight of everything that happens within the country.

“So you do play a very critical role, you are. The professionals that are to be found in every corner of our country. Where there is no other professional. There will be a teacher and your voice in the community is very strong when people cannot quite understand something they’ll be asking each other have you asked each other so and so so,” Karua said.

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“You do carry a lot of weight in everything that goes on in our country and that is what we should remember. When engaging teachers, that we are engaging a very enlightened group of teachers and women have something in common.”

Karua also assured the teachers that the Azimio administration will employ more teachers and increase their salaries if elected.

She acknowledged the country is currently under heavy debt. However, she said if the corruption loopholes are sealed, the debts will be paid and the government will meet the needs of various sectors.

"We have heavy debts, but those debts are not a deterrence. If we still the loopholes, we will not only pay the debts, but we will also develop and meet the needs of the various sectors including teachers," Karua said.

The KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu said the best team to support in the August election is the Azimio team because their manifesto guarantees employment for all teachers and will also review their salaries.

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“On behalf of teachers in this republic, I’m saying and I want to reiterate, the best team to campaign for is Baba na Martha. As their manifesto is, we shall have employment of all teachers. This team shall seek to review the salaries of teachers in this republic,” Oyuu said.

This is a major boost for the Azimio coalition because there are many teachers in the entire country that having the support of their unions is likely to add a substantial number of votes to the Azimio basket.