Chaos rocks head teachers' meet in Mombasa

Chaos has rocked the Kenya primary school head teachers' conference in Mombasa, bringing the annual meet to a standstill.

The commotion, characterised by shouting and throwing of chairs and bottles, was caused by the Sh500 the head teachers pay as union fees every month to the Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association (Kepsha).

SH500

Trouble started when some teachers opposed the charge, saying the union leaders had failed to explain how the money is spent.

Some demanded that it be reduced because they had not been shown any projects the kitty had funded.

"Don't charge us equally. Some teachers operate in small schools in marginalised areas while others serve wealthy pupils," Mr Joseph Njeru, a head teacher from Nakuru, said during the Monday chaos at Sheikh Zayed Children Welfare Centre.

The subscription charge was raised from Sh100 to Sh500 last year.

The teachers, who converge on Mombasa every year to take stock of their union, share ideas on school management and plan ahead, called for the resignation of Kepsha chairman Shem Ndolo.

The more than 10,000 teachers threatened to pass a vote of no confidence in Mr Ndolo and swear in his deputy Nicholas Gathemia to take over.

They also criticised Mr Ndolo for opposing teachers strike planned by their union from September 1.

'NONSENSE'

The meeting was brought to a halt for a few minutes after Mr Ndolo gave his remarks and called for support from the head teachers.

"Chapter 6 on office bearers, membership and elections in Kepsha constitution states that it (the fees) will be reviewed every 10 years," Mr Ndolo said.

But hell broke loose when Mr Ndolo dismissed their opposition, criticism and quit calls as “nonsense”.

The head teachers are also opposed to the delocalisation policy, posting teachers away from their home counties, which Mr Ndolo backs.

The heads want TSC to consider age of teachers while implementing the policy, with heads nearing their retirement being allowed to complete their contracts in their home counties.

The chaos lasted for about two hours before Mr Gathemia begged the teachers to allow the meeting to go on as scheduled.

Mr Gathemia allowed around five head teachers at the podium to air their views.

UHURU

Mr Ndolo was whisked away to a private room after the delegates started throwing water bottles at him.

The heads are holding their 14th annual delegates conference, whose theme is: Education and Skills Agenda: Accelerating progress towards Vision 2030.

During the yearly sessions, participants hold panel discussions and are also addressed by various speakers.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is slated to officially open the conference on Tuesday.

Kepsha’s vision is to “influence education policy by empowering head teachers to nurture and promote individuals learn to exploit their God-given talents for the world of work.”

It hopes to provide effective leadership in primary schools for good practices in management and implementation of the curriculum.