MWALIMU ANDREW: Mistrust as Bensouda assigns Kuya key roles

Last Monday, I deliberately arrived at school as the parade was coming to an end

You will all remember last week, the debacle caused in the staffroom regarding Kuya’s orders that seemed to clash with my TSC-assigned roles. While no one stopped the HM from assigning roles to any teacher, there was clearly a problem when she started assigning a teacher roles that were clearly the deputy’s; so much so that some bold teachers gained the courage to ask Bensouda to clarify what Kuya’s roles were.

“We want to know what Kuya’s new role is," asked Erick, my colleague who started looking for a transfer from this school even before he reported. He is still looking.

Bensouda had initially ignored this, but the point had been made. She directed Kuya and I to sit down and sort out some of the sticking issues like the school timetable that had brought furore in the staffroom.

Needless to say, Kuya and I did not agree, and we stuck with the old timetable. I would later learn that Kuya kept telling the HM that it would be much easier if he was given the powers to do the timetable, among other responsibilities.

“I see many things going wrong here but without clear powers I can’t do much until you make it clear to everyone what my role is,” Kuya is rumoured to have told Bensouda.

LOST TRUST

Noting that I had lost the confidence and trust of my boss, I decided to go slow on a few things. Take last Monday for example, I deliberately arrived at school as the parade was coming to an end. As expected, no teacher had come early, and so no one had supervised school clean-up. Kuya was addressing the parade when I arrived, but it was clear that he could not do as good a job as I always do.

He dismissed the parade and everyone went to their different duties. I took a walk around the classrooms and was surprised to see how dirty and dusty they were. However, I ignored that. It was technically my duty but hadn’t Kuya taken it up?

Bensouda arrived a few minutes after 10am. She did not take long in her office before she called me.

“My office is so dusty Dre,” she started. “Was it cleaned?” I told her that Kuya had been in charge of morning operations, and only he could answer.

“I just took initiative to sort out things when the teacher on duty was unavailable and the deputy was nowhere to be seen,” he said when Bensouda challenged him.

“Sorry, this could not have happened if it was clearly my job,” he said, as he quickly called a girl from Class Six to clean the HM’s office.

“Thank you, Kuya. That’s what I call taking initiative and responsibility, and it is what I expect from my teachers. Not whining every time.”

Before she left for the day, she personally called for a staff meeting the next day. While I had not been consulted over the agenda of the staff meeting, at least this time it was the HM calling for the meeting, not some junior teacher.

Remembering the last meeting when I had crossed Bensouda by coming late, this time I was seated by 9am, but that did not stop Bensouda from finding fault in me.

“Dre where are other teachers?” she asked me just before the meeting started. I told her they were on their way, except for Erick whom I had not heard from.

“Erick is on his way and Madam Ruth is not coming today as she is taking her baby to the clinic,” Kuya answered.

“Thank you Kuya for taking the initiative to talk to everyone,” she said, and started the meeting shortly after.

NEW ROLES

“You will all agree that a few things are not going on well in this school,” she started. “And I would be an irresponsible HM if I sat back and did nothing about that.” She went on to list the problems that were bedevilling the school: Cleanliness, poor time keeping (by both teachers and pupils); class attendance, discipline among others. What she did not admit was that all those had deteriorated in the two weeks I had decided not to work too hard as no one was appreciating me.

“I will therefore be assigning you all different roles so that we can rediscover our lost glory,” she said. “Nzomo, you will be in charge of sanitation and cleanliness,” she started. “Mrs Atika, I will expect that all teachers and students arrive at school on time, while Erick becomes the new Discipline Master.”

Mr Kuya was appointed Academic Master while Sella was asked to take care of games and extra-curricular activities. Noticing she had not assigned me anything, she said, “Dre please take care of the candidates so that they post better results than last year.”

Looking at all the teachers, she added: “In your duties, you will all report to Kuya and follow his instructions. While you are in charge of the assigned dockets, Kuya has the overall responsibility to ensure they run smoothly, and will give you all the support that you may need.”

Teachers only got freer after she had left, immediately after the meeting; but not before she spent some time with Kuya in her office.

“So what is going on here. Umechujwa ama nini?” asked Erick looking at me. I told everyone that I saw no contradiction. “What matters to any school is KCPE performance, and you all see that as deputy, I have been assigned the most important role that will determine what everyone talks about this school next year,” I assured the teachers, asking them to support Kuya.

With nothing much to do, I left the school early and went straight to Hitler’s. How the issue had found its way there, I did not know.

“We will not sit back and watch our son frustrated in his work,” said Alphayo. “Huyu mama hakupendi na hakutaki,” exclaimed Nyayo. Rasto advised me to start looking for a transfer to another school, or for a transfer of Bensouda to another school.

“Tutakusaidia kumfukuza.”

I told them to relax. “Kitu ya maana sio kazi, ni pesa,” I started. “Kama mtu hajapunguza mshahara yangu, lakini amenipunguzia kazi, shida iko wapi?” I asked and ordered a drink for each of them, to prove that I still had money, but less work.

And that was not a bad thing!