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It was a sigh of relief for students and parents of St Gabriel Isongo Secondary School in Mumias East constituency, Kakamega county after new teachers posted to the institution by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) started reporting yesterday morning.

The move comes after reaching a truce when Western region MPs apologised over the forceful ejection of the school’s head prompting TSC to transfer all the teachers in the institution.

Celebrations rent the air as students and the parents broke into song and dance to welcome the teachers led by their new Principal Bernard Akharunda.

Critical role

On hand to welcome them was area MP Peter Salasya who played a critical role in ending the crisis that had lasted twelve days.

While acknowledging the significance of holding teachers accountable for academic outcomes, Salasya said he opposed any form of harassment or intimidation against school administrators and other members of staff.

“We wish to remind communities behind these regrettable attacks at Isongo that learners’ achievement in examinations is the reflection of the overall input from all stakeholders, including parents, teachers, and candidates themselves,” he said.

He thanked the commission for reassigning teachers to the school and assured them of their security.
Akharunda said he and the nine teachers that reported yesterday would be joined by another ten by tomorrow.

He said they had immediately embarked on stabilising the situation with available teachers already taking students through class-work.

He said they had received 120 form one students by yesterday and that they expected the number to rise to at least 250 by next week.

“We are ready to serve the child. TSC have sent nine teachers so far this (yesterday) morning and we thank our CEO Dr Nancy Macharia, the area MP and other stakeholders for supporting and giving us hope,” Akharunda said.

“We cannot allow Isongo to go down. We are up to the task. Things will be back to normal by the end of the week. I encourage parents to trust us and bring their kids to this school.”

The new Principal, a teacher of Mathematics and Physics, joins Isongo from St. Brigid’s Siumbwa Secondary school in Bungoma county.

He has previously taught at St. Ignatius Mukumu Boys High School where he earned his promotion to deputy principal, St Peter’s Mumias Boys where he was ranked as the best teacher in 2010, and at St Patrick’s Ikonyero Secondary.

Learning at Isongo had remained paralysed after the government withdrew 17 teachers in protest after the institution’s Principal was forcefully ejected.

Dismal performance

Rowdy parents and other members of the public stormed the school on Friday, January 12 and attacked the Principal and his deputy to protest dismal performance in the last year’s KCSE examinations.

David Wafula and his deputy Alfred Kutindi, alongside 15 other teachers, have since been transferred to other schools for security reasons.

The eight teachers employed by the Board of Management were overwhelmed during the crisis and decided to sit back and wait for a solution.