Surviving State Corporatism in Kenya: the Case Study of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), 1982-2013

Abstract

The study examines the survival of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) from state co-optation between 1982 and 2013. The study was based on three objectives, which were: to investigate the nature of state corporatism in Kenya during the Moi regime and how it was employed against trade unions and other civil society organizations; to explain KNUT‟s strategies of surmounting state co-optation; and to examine state corporatism during the Kibaki era. Both secondary and primary data were instrumental to this study. The secondary sources analyzed included books, journal articles, theses and M.A. projects. Primary data sources included newspapers, magazines, letters, minutes of various KNUT meetings, KNUT strategic plans, constitutions, speeches, and oral interviews. Two methods of sampling techniques were used; purposive and snowballing sampling techniques. The data was collected and examined by a means of qualitative enquiry. The study was approached through the lens of the State Corporatism theory. The study found out that post-colonial regimes in Kenya have undermined the efficiency of trade unions and other civil society organizations through the enactment of punitive legislations, the creation of splinter organizations to weaken their bargaining powers, the employment of state propaganda, the removal of organizations‟ vibrant leaders, and the unleashing of state violence on demonstrators. The study argues that despite the above state corporatist measures, KNUT managed to overcome. KNUT‟s survival was intertwined with the four variables, that is, good union organization based on constitutionalism and democracy; the numerical strength that determined the union‟s militancy; the union‟s financial muscle that dictated its independence from any external forces; and the strong and able leadership which not only prioritized the cause of its members but was also determined to take on the state on pertinent issues within the education sector. As part of a growing body of research on state/labour relation in Kenya, this project will therefore contribute to future research on similar topics apart from highlighting the factors that shape a trade union into a strong entity that is independent from state control.