The headteacher of a primary school in Mombasa was demoted after Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi made an impromptu visit and discovered massive mismanagement.
Matiang'i in the company of Ministry and Teachers Service Commission (TSC) officials, made an unannounced call to Majaoni Primary School in Shanzu and requested Mr Wellington Mwatsama, the headteacher, to explain how he had used funds disbursed to the institution.
Mr Mwatsama claimed that he had managed to fill a manhole and construct a toilet, but the CS got angered after finding records of fund usage stored in dirty rooms.
“In a span of three years, you were given Sh240,000 for infrastructure and maintenance and all you can tell me is that they were used to fill a manhole and construct a teachers’ toilet? What meaningful projects have you done?” Matiangi asked.
The Minister went on to survey the school and came across the staffroom where he found teachers sitting on pupil's desks in a dilapidated building, prompting more prodding from an agitated Matiangi.
“Surely, with the funds we give, you should be able to provide a conducive environment for sitting for your teachers and all you show me is a stack of files and invoices… Seriously?” the CS was quoted by Daily Nation.
He further toured the classrooms where he found one class without a teacher. Running out of answers, the school head promised the officials that he would improve.
However, Mwatsama was met with a bad day as a TSC official accompanying Matiangi promised to demote him.
“We will have to deploy the headteacher of Majaoni to another school as a teacher to pave way for investigations.
The Cabinet Secretary has been on a mission to streamline the education sector which is rocked by many challenges.
On Tuesday, he moved in to avert a pending school fees row by asking parents to only pay what had been gazetted, contrary to extra amounts that were being charged by various institutions.
