Activists Disrupt Teachers’ Meeting

Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

Brian Otieno

25 June 2011

Secondary school head teachers yesterday clashed with human rights activists and persons who claimed were from a union called Kenya Secondary School Non-Teaching Staff Union over the missing Sh4.2bn Free Primary Education money.

The activists stormed the meeting during the awards ceremony where the top performing principals were getting their gifts. They accused the headteachers of colluding with Ministry of Education officials to steal the missing billions.

A shouting match ensued between headteachers and the activists, one of whom wore a white sack with the words “Free Primary Education: Pesa Zimeibwa”. A second group carried placards demanding the resignation of Education minister Sam Ongeri. The stunned headteachers heckled the three activists forcing the ceremony to be stopped for about 10 minutes. Security had to be called in to eject the activists from the hall at Wild Waters Hotel.

Felix Musyoki, who claimed to be the secretary general of the union, said the headteachers and the government do not recognize or respect the non-teaching staff in schools. “We are oppressed. We don’t have a scheme of service, contracts or pay slips. We want the headteachers to know that public schools are not private property,” Musyoki said. “They are greedy and that is why some of them go for political positions after they are done stealing from the schools,” he said.

Hassan Greeve, chairman of the Prepared Society, a human rights group, said Ongeri must resign and thieving officials jailed. “We want to see Ongeri resign and many more sent to jail for the missing money,” said Greeve.

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