Over a week after parents stormed the St Gabriel Isongo Secondary School in Mumias East, Kenya to harass teachers, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has approved the transfer of 17 teachers to other institutions within Bungoma and Kakamega counties.
The only teachers left to manage the school – eight of them – are those employed by the Board of Management (BoM).
News Central reports that on January 12, 2024, visibly angry parents of learners stormed the school premises, proceeded to chase out the Principal and another teacher, the Director of Studies.
The duo were severely manhandled by the parents, who accused of mismanaging the school, leading to poor academic performances from students.
Shortly after the incident, the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) officials in Kakamega urged teachers not to resume work until the insecurity has been duly addressed.
Johnstone Wabuti, who is KUPPET’s Kakamega branch chairman maintained that no teacher will be allowed at the school again, until their safety is guaranteed.
Mr Wabuti also expressed dissatisfaction with the way the situation was being handled. He questioned why none of the suspects was yet to be apprehended for the offense.
“The Ministry of Education and that of Interior must tell us why they are dragging their feet in apprehending the suspects,” he said.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu also condemned the attack on teachers, stating that strict measures will be employed to protect teachers from further harassment from parents of learners.
“Going forward, the Ministry of Education will treat any invasion to schools to frog-march teachers out of their workstations as acts of crime that will prompt firm and decisive action from law enforcers,” he said. Reports say St Gabriel Isongo Secondary School registered 179 candidates for the senior secondary certificate examination, and only two managed to score university entry grades. Majority of the candidates failed, scoring mostly Ds and Es.