Soldier, hero, fighter, guardian, unstoppable were some of the words that mourning teachers named him. The great Teachers’ unionist passed on yesterday 3rd April, 2013 after battling a long illness. Mr. Okuta was until his death, Secretary General of Kenya National Union of Teachers, KNUT, a union that has championed for the rights and welfare of teachers for decades in Kenya.
Mr.
Okuta had been out of public limelight since he was diagnosed with hernia, as
was disclosed by a close relative. He had been hospitalized at the Aga khan
Hospital and had been discharged only to
develop complications when he got home. This prompted his family to rush him to
Rongai Women’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Condolences
trickled in from all over the country as KNUT chairman Wilson Sossion visited
the family at Lee Funeral home and at his home in Ongata Rongai. Mr. Sossion
described his death as untimely and pledged to soldier on from where Mr. Okuta
left. Mr. Atwoli described him a leader who focused on the welfare of teachers.
Millicent Juma, a local teacher in Nairobi described him as a servant of the
people. ‘He defended and fought for our rights with all his heart,’ she
lamented.
Mr.
Okuta was a career teacher hailing from western Kenya. He was trained at
Kaimosi Teachers Training College and has been KNUT Secretary general since
2008. He leaves behind two widows and eight children.
HRM
guide Kenya shares this sad moment with Okuta’s family, friends, teachers and
the unionist fraternity.
Solidarity forever
