A video showing schoolchildren dancing to a tune led by a man dressed in a suit has been shared across social media channels in Kenya, igniting a debate about how teachers interact with children.
Many were left guessing who the man was, with some commenting that he resembled Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria.
Kenyans.co.ke was able to reach out to the man pictured in the video, Mathias Momanyi, a senior producer at KBC.
He explained that though he is currently in media, his training and past experience as a teacher helped him blend in with the joyful children.
"I was hosting a show dubbed Ramani ya Kiswahili at Saika Primary School, and we decided to engage the children to show them that journalists are fun people.
“The show is recorded in schools and educates and entertains children about the Swahili language,” he said.
In Momanyi’s past career as a teacher, he taught in Tanzanian schools before returning to teach back home in Kenya.
“I have taught at Makini and Consolata schools before I joined the media industry,” Momanyi explained.
He is also a celebrated author of Swahili books, boasting 25 titles in various book shops across the country.
His viral video sparked conversations about how much teachers sacrifice to tend to students and whether they are sufficiently remunerated.
Teachers often have to put on various hats other than their primary role such as a social worker, psychoeducator, and counsellor.
In order to help their students, tutors feel compelled to adopt these roles themselves even though they don’t have the proper training.
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