MOMBASA, Kenya Apr 7 – The Dock Workers Union of Kenya (DWU) is facing an escalating leadership standoff after two rival factions emerged, each claiming legitimate control of the union following a contested series of court rulings, internal meetings, and disputed leadership changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The crisis has split the union into two camps\u2014one backing ousted Secretary General Simon Sang, and another rallying behind Sulman Owuor, who has declared himself the new Secretary General following a controversial weekend meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Owuor-led group insists it is acting within the law, pointing to a February 26 ruling by the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Mombasa that reinstated Owuor and four other officials previously removed from office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following their reinstatement, the group convened a meeting at Mbaraki Sports Club on Saturday, where they announced sweeping leadership changes, including the election of Owuor as Secretary General.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The meeting also saw Amin Iloti named National Chairperson, Kibibi Omeri appointed National Treasurer, Maskat Salim made Vice Treasurer, and Mejumaa Chirau assigned Chairperson of the Gender Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other appointments included Bernadette Bahati Musyoki as Assistant General Secretary, Ruwa Mpate as Assistant Chairperson, and Granton Patrick and Darlene Ongwena as representatives for male and female young workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Owuor\u2019s allies maintain that their actions reflect the court\u2019s reinstatement order and correct previous leadership irregularities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The opposing camp, aligned to Simon Sang, has dismissed the developments as unconstitutional, accusing Owuor\u2019s group of attempting an illegal takeover of the union leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DWU Assistant Chairperson Bula Kaneno said the Saturday meeting did not meet constitutional requirements, arguing that members were not properly notified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAccording to our constitution, a special meeting requires a 14-day notice. There was no circular issued\u2014only a WhatsApp message,\u201d Kaneno said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He maintained that the union leadership remains unchanged until elections scheduled for June 25, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rashid Mwagasare, acting Assistant Secretary General, also rejected the meeting, calling it illegitimate and warning against attempts to bypass agreed electoral timelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe agreed on elections in June. What happened was not an election but a kangaroo meeting,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Sang-aligned faction has written to the Registrar of Trade Unions, the Labour Commissioner, and the Kenya Ports Authority, urging them not to recognize the new leadership claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The leadership battle has been accompanied by fresh accusations over alleged misuse of union funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chief Shop Steward Justin Ngure claimed that immediately after their reinstatement, Owuor\u2019s team altered bank signatories and began making withdrawals without member approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He alleged that Sh1.2 million was withdrawn on March 3 as court-ordered payments, followed by Sh185,000 without explanation, and a further Sh80,000 on March 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ngure said the transactions were not communicated to members and demanded accountability over union finances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the center of the dispute is a February 26 judgment by the Employment and Labour Relations Court, which found serious governance and financial irregularities within the union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The court determined that Simon Sang had mismanaged union affairs, violated the constitution, and improperly used statutory processes to effect leadership changes, including filing Form Q without following due procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Justice M. Mbaru ordered the reinstatement of suspended officials and directed that the union leadership revert to its position as of December 13, 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The court also ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of the union\u2019s accounts over the past three years, to be conducted under the supervision of the Registrar of Trade Unions, with a report expected within 30 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With both factions claiming authority, mounting allegations of financial mismanagement, and legal orders still being interpreted differently, the Dock Workers Union now faces an uncertain leadership future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As preparations for the June 25, 2026 elections continue on paper, the union remains deeply divided, with each side insisting it is the rightful custodian of DWU leadership.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The crisis has split the union into two camps\u2014one backing ousted Secretary General Simon Sang, and another rallying behind Sulman Owuor, who has declared himself the new Secretary General.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12320,"featured_media":798500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,4625,26],"tags":[53176,53161,53165,53174,53163,53170,1981,491,53168,53178,53169,53177,53166,53175,53179,53162,53164,53171,53173,53172,53167],"coauthors":[407],"class_list":["post-798499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kenya","category-national-news","category-top-stories","tag-dock-workers-strike-risk","tag-dock-workers-union-kenya","tag-dwu-elections-2026","tag-dwu-financial-mismanagement-allegations","tag-dwu-leadership-crisis","tag-employment-and-labour-relations-court-ruling","tag-featured","tag-kenya","tag-kenya-ports-authority-union-conflict","tag-labour-union-elections-controversy","tag-labour-union-leadership-battle","tag-mbaraki-sports-club-meeting","tag-mombasa-dock-workers","tag-port-workers-dispute-kenya","tag-registrar-of-trade-unions-kenya","tag-simon-sang","tag-sulman-owuor","tag-trade-union-kenya-news","tag-union-coup-claims-kenya","tag-union-governance-kenya","tag-union-leadership-dispute-kenya"],"yoast_head":"\n