Parents rough up teachers over KCPE

Hostile parents on Tuesday beat up a headteacher, blocked another from entering his school and also tried to kick out yet another from his office over poor examination results.

Learning at the three schools was disrupted as the parents blamed the headteachers for the poor performance.

At Matioli Primary School in Kakamega East, parents confronted headteacher Juma Shirovere and beat him up, complaining that the school had performed dismally.

They demanded the headmaster be transferred to another school.

The parents asked pupils to go home and stay until a new headteacher had been sent to the institution.

Kenya National Union of Teachers officials, led by Kakamega County chairman Patrick Chungani, visited the school and tried to calm the situation but gave up after the parents turned rowdy.

“We have asked the teachers to stay away because the security of the teachers at the school cannot be guaranteed because of the hostility by parents,” said Mr Chungani.

At the nearby Itenyi Primary School, a group of parents blocked the headteacher, Mr Alexander Lungaswa, from reporting for duty.

Mr Lungaswa claimed a church official had incited the parents to eject him from school.

At Kanyadhiang’ Primary School in Karachuonyo District, parents’ efforts to forcibly eject the headmaster were thwarted after the intervention of the area chief and community leaders.

He was accused of misappropriation of school funds and failure to release last year’s Standard Eight results to the community.

However, the headmaster, Mr Washington Akuno, said some individuals in the school committee were out to tarnish his name and reputation so that he would lose his job.

At the same time, hundreds of residents of Muili village in Tigania West District yesterday held a peaceful demonstration, protesting against the poor performance by schools in the area.

Additional reporting by Charles Wanyoro