Re-election of BTU SG opens a can of worms

FRANCISTOWN: The reelection of Ibo Kenosi as the Botswana Teachers Union (BTU) Secretary General at their congress in Mmadinare over the weekend opened a can of worms among the delegates. Kenosi retained the seat after he garnered 192 votes over 164 and 20 votes of his counterparts respectively. Though the controversial Kenosi has been surrounded by controversy for the past months with members accusing him for misappropriation of the union funds and further calling for his head, he proved to be one of BTU’s heavy weights after clearing the mist that surrounded him for a long time.

 

However, after he was announced the winner during the elective congress, it emerged that most of the delegates did not celebrate his victory but were left with questions as to what led to his victory as he is an unwanted man in the executive committee. While his supporters celebrated his victory, most of the delegates believed that he had used his fi – nancial muscle to win the elections. Kenosi was recently at the centre of controversy where he was accused of using BTU funds for his personal benefi ts. Among the irregularities he was accused of is the purchasing of the Planet Lodge which belongs to the Union.

 

He allegedly purchased it without the input of the commit-tee. He was also accused of purchasing T-shirts for the recent national congress held in Francistown without the approval of the committee. The members once tabled a motion of no confi dence in an effort to topple him but the numbers favoured him to continue with his job. However, those close to Kenosi said that prior to the elections, he gained his support from the delegations after the executive report cleared him of any wrong doing. “All these allegations labeled against Kenosi were cleared by the audit and the executive report.

 

After these reports were presented in a closed meeting, most of the delegates started to support Kenosi because he was no longer what BTU members thought,” said some of his supporters after the elections. They said Kenosi won the elections because he has lot of support from the BTU youth. The source noted that Kenosi’s silence when all the allegations of funds misappropriation emerged was a strategy to prove his detractors wrong. “You will remember that ever since these issues emerged he remained silent because he did not want to ruin his relationship with his supporters,” the source said. Efforts to talk to Kenosi went futile as his mobile phone rang unanswered.