Garissa school heads to sue Sossion for alleged incitement

Garissa High School principal Abdi Moulid Abdi, who is also the chairman of the Garissa branch of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association, speaking to journalists at the school on January 28, 2014. School heads from the county have said they will sue Knut Secretary-General Wilson Sossion for allegedly inciting teachers working in north-eastern Kenya. PHOTO | ABDIMALIK HAJIR | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • KSSHA Garissa branch officials said Mr Sossion is trying to divert the attention of Kenyan teachers who went back to class empty handed after two weeks of boycotting classes countrywide.
  • They said school administrators will sue him as an individual arguing that the utterances he made did not representing the stand of Knut.
  • Most non-local teachers working in both primary and secondary schools in Garissa County have reported to work except a few.
  • The Garissa school administrators said TSC should immediately replace all teachers who will not have resumed duty by February 2, 2015.

Headteachers in Garissa have vowed to sue Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion for alleged incitement against teachers working in north-eastern Kenya.

Speaking to the Nation, the chairman of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KSSHA) Garissa branch Abdi Moulid Abdi and Secretary Khalif Sheikh Issack said Mr Sossion is trying to divert the attention of Kenyan teachers who went back to class empty handed after two weeks of boycotting classes countrywide.

They said school administrators will sue him as an individual, arguing that the utterances he made did not represent the stand of Knut.

They added that his remarks were illegal and discriminatory and were aimed at inciting teachers against working in the northern region.

"We are all members of Knut and when Sossion tells non-local teachers to abandon their work stations, are we also not affected by the same insecurity? Doesn't he speak for us?" posed Mr Isaack while speaking in his office.

Mr Issack, who is also a high school principal, said the remarks by Mr Sossion were unfair to children from the region, noting that there was insecurity all over the country and one incident should not be used to deny children their right to education.

"Sossion is the biggest threat to teachers. He is dividing teachers based on the regions they come from. Insecurity (exists) everywhere in Kenya and locals are also victims of these attacks," he added.

MOST TEACHERS BACK AT WORK

The Nation established that most non-local teachers working in both primary and secondary schools in Garissa County had reported to work except a few.

At County High School, for instance, four teachers had not resumed duty, while at Sankuri Secondary School, two teachers were yet to show up, and one teacher at Garissa High School was yet to report

Mr Issack said Garissa University has formed an outreach programme to make sure there are teachers in the respective schools to stand in for those who are absent.

"What Kenyans don't know is that these teachers protesting at TSC headquarters are the ones who brought their applications to their respective schools in this region before they were recruited by TSC and they signed contracts of five years before they can request for transfer, so it is not possible for them to get a job then move out," he said.

The Garissa school administrators said TSC should immediately replace all teachers who will not have resumed duty by February 2.

"If any teachers come back, as school heads we will not victimize them," said Garissa High School principal Abdi Moulid Abdi, who is also the chairman of Garissa School Heads Association.

Mr Abdi also pleaded with other public servants working in the region to return to their work stations, noting that the government had improved security.

Meanwhile, school administrators in Garissa County have requested the governors of Mandera, Garissa and Wajir counties to invest in education and training of local teachers in their respective counties.