A section of officials from the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has threatened to stage demonstrations if the County Director of Education (CDE) is not transferred immediately.
The union officials from West Pokot issued a stern warning on Wednesday, March 26, as they pointed accusatory fingers at the CDE for different forms of misconduct.
While citing a growing frustration over the leadership of Simon Wamae, the union accused the West Pokot CDE of incompetence, mismanagement of funds, and harassment of teachers.
KNUT West Pokot Branch Secretary Martin Sembelo was particularly critical of Wamae, as he called on the Ministry of Education to take action against the CDE.
"As KNUT West Pokot Branch, we are informing the Ministry of Education that the County Director should be transferred. We no longer need his services," Sembelo declared.
Among the key grievances raised by the union is the alleged misallocation of funds meant for co-curricular activities. KNUT officials claim that instead of the official KSh 17 per child, the director has been collecting a staggering Ksh100 per child, raising questions about transparency and accountability.
Despite collecting the funds, officials accused Wamae of overlooking the students' welfare in West Pokot, with one official citing an instance where a group of students were sent back home without participating in a regional event.
The officials further lamented that the director’s actions jeopardised students' participation in regional co-curricular activities, including a recent drama festival event where students were sent back since an affiliation fee had not been remitted.
"We came back with young learners crying, asking us why they have not participated in the regionals in Trans-Nzoia. We become powerless as leaders, and we don't know what to do in such situations." Frida Arusho, another disgruntled official, lamented.
Speaking on behalf of KNUT officials, Sembelo vowed to frustrate Wamae henceforth until the County Director of Education was transferred.
To facilitate the transfer of a CDE, there have to be sufficient grounds from aggrieved parties such as KNUT that there are cases of misconduct. The concerned parties can submit their grievances to the Education Ministry, after which the Ministry will assess the validity of the complaints.
"If our children are not going to be taken to Bomet because of his incapabilities, we are going to misbehave, and we shall come to his office until he goes for transfer," Sembelo warned.
