The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has threatened to disrupt the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in Kakamega County if the government fails to take action after a secondary school principal was allegedly murdered.
The Munyuki Secondary School Principal, who had been missing for some days, was found dumped in the Kipkaren River on Saturday, November 8.
According to reports, the death of the teacher was staged as an accident, but it is suspected that the principal was tortured and killed before being dumped in the river.
KUPPET Chairman Kakamega County Johnston Wabuti noted that the union will pull all school principals in the region from KCSE exam centres until those responsible for the murder of the principal are captured.
"The principal was fondly dumped in a river, and the body was badly mutilated, and we are very sad, and if there is no report to explain to us who did this, we shall be forced to disrupt exams in this region," Wabuti said.
According to Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula, security agencies should ensure that any individuals responsible for the death of the teacher are arrested, regardless of their status.
"The teacher was killed and dumped into the river. We want to know what really happened and if anyone is found responsible, whether he is a politician or another senior person, he should be arrested immediately," Savula said.
Members of the union, who blamed the government for not taking the matter seriously because "he is just a teacher and not other officials", said that security agencies should ensure quick and thorough investigations to also ensure that such incidents don't recur.
"Teachers' lives matter because we are sure if this were another big person in the government, there could have been arrests that have been made already, but because it is a teacher, this entire process is taking very long," one of the union's members said.
The incident comes a month after another teacher, from the Garissa Teachers College, was killed, which prompted boda boda operators and teachers in the town to protest on Monday, October 13.
According to reports, the 27-year-old teacher was stabbed by three unknown individuals in Garissa Town on Saturday, October 11.
The three individuals are said to have stopped the lecturer while he was running errands using his motorcycle before they attacked him. The teacher was quickly rushed to Garissa County Referral Hospital, where he finally succumbed to his injuries.
"We are losing very young teachers and boda boda. If you look at this teacher, he was not even married, and he didn't have any children, but he was hard-working. What we want is justice for the teachers," one protester said.
