The teachers’ strike scheduled to take place in January is still on, Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary-General Wilson Sossion has said.
However as negotiations have taken the better part of the Christmas holiday to find a lasting solution to the unending teachers strike threat , one Ukur Yattani has been named numerous times.
Who is Ukur Yattani
Ukur Yatani Kanacho (born 12 March 1967) is the former governor for Marsabit County and a Kenyan with political connections (and hitherto unknown) nominated for the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection due to his close links to power broker Aden Duale, a naturalized Somali Kenyan.
In 2002, Yatani become a District Officer for the Government of Kenya. Yatani quickly rose through the ranks from District Officer Cadet to a Senior District Officer and then promoted to a District Commissioner in July 2002. In this position he successfully coordinated state business, managed government resources, maintained law and order, directed disaster relief operations, and implemented long term strategic plans that improved government services and the lives of local residents.
He was then called home by his constituents and elected as the Member of Parliament for North Horr constituency in 2006. During this time the Marsabit North District was created and M.P.
Yatani was then appointed as the Assistant Minister, Ministry of Science and Technology.In 2009, Yatani began a multi-year mission to advance the interests of Kenya on the international stage. He was named Ambassador to Austria in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vienna.
As the Ambassador to Austria, with accreditation to Hungary and Slovakia, he provided support and consular services to Kenyans living abroad and promoted trade and economic cooperation with a variety of European nations and thereby contributed to the realization of Kenya’s Vision 2030. Amb. Yatani also served as the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which works to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy around the world.
In the Marsabit local elections, 2013 Amb. Yatani was elected to pioneer the devolved County Government becoming the leader of the largest county in the nation.
Met a delegation of leaders from Marsabit County led by Governor Ukur Yatani at State House. pic.twitter.com/nQB61OXGI9
— Uhuru Kenyatta (@UKenyatta) March 14, 2017
As the Marsabit County Governor he was tasked with building the newly formed county from scratch, and as the chief executive he brought peace, development and economic prosperity to the region.
On 16 February 2018, Ambassador Ukur Yatani Kanacho was sworn in by H.E. The President of the Republic of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta for Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection.
The Labour Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani, has acknowledged receipt of the union’s industrial strike notice on December 19 indicating that the strike would begin on January 2, said the issues to be discussed include promotion of teachers, performance contracting and professional development programmes.
“Once again I urge parties to this dispute to give the conciliation process and dialogue a chance to resolve their differences noting the critical timing and weight of public interest in the matter,” said Mr Yattani. Knut has asked its members to boycott work starting January 3 in order to push TSC to rescind some of its policies towards teachers which it terms as unfair.
Did you know Ukur Yattani?