Learning at St Mark’s Secondary School Obambo ground to a halt on May 12, 2026, after hundreds of learners staged a protest against the transfer of their principal, Peter Wao, forcing the administration to shut down the institution.
The learners abandoned classes and trekked several kilometres from the school to Ojola Trading Centre, demanding an audience with education officials and calling for the immediate revocation of the transfer.
The demonstration, which also drew parents and local residents, laid bare growing discontent over what stakeholders described as abrupt and insensitive transfers by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
“We have rejected this transfer because our principal has transformed this school and only has two years left before retirement,” said one of the learners.
The protests also caught the attention of Kisumu West Member of Parliament (MP) Rosa Buyu, who said the institution needed continuity and stable leadership.
“What happened today is because they feel they have been pushed to the wall, otherwise these students are quite disciplined,” said Ms Buyu.
The legislator further revealed that she had personally spoken to Teachers Service Commissioner Timon Oyucho, who oversees transfers, and appealed to him to halt the move after learning that the principal was only two years away from retirement.
In Homa Bay County, a similar storm is brewing over the transfer of teachers and principals, with political leaders, parents and community members increasingly accusing the TSC of making far-reaching decisions without consulting local stakeholders.
The latest dispute erupted after Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma attempted to block the transfer of a principal to Homa Bay High School, igniting fierce debate over the role of politicians in the management of schools.
The legislator stirred public discussion online after objecting to leadership changes at the institution, arguing that the move would undermine academic performance and destabilise the school’s future.
In a move that exposed the delicate intersection between politics and education, Mr Kaluma unsuccessfully sought to stop the commission from replacing the outgoing principal, laying bare how political leaders, opinion shapers and community members often attempt to influence decisions ordinarily reserved for the Ministry of Education and the TSC.
In some instances, various groups have reportedly sought to influence who should be deployed to different institutions across the country.
The TSC had transferred Vincent Mayienga to Sirembe Mixed Secondary School in Siaya after he served at Homa Bay High School for six years. He was replaced by Dr Joshua Miayawa, who previously served at Thur Dibuoro in Nyakach, Kisumu County.
However, the transition did not sit well with Mr Kaluma, who wrote a protest letter to the commission claiming that key stakeholders, including himself, had not been consulted before the changes were effected.
“I am now informed that you have transferred Mr Miyawa Harrison Joshua from Thur Dibuoro Secondary School to the Homa Bay School ignoring my considered recommendation herein. As notified in my previous letter, Homa Bay School has not been performing optimally for far too long and needs a more experienced and stable Head of Institution to lead it into the future,” he wrote.
“The posting of heads of institutions within Homa Bay Town Constituency without considering the position of stakeholders has killed several premium schools in the constituency, including Wiobiero Mixed Secondary School. I write to register my rejection of the transfer of Mr Miyawa Harrison Joshua to the Homa Bay School. Please post to the school, the head of institution I proposed in my previous letter herein,” he wrote.
The MP also took to social media to update constituents on his attempts to influence the leadership at Homa Bay High School.
However, the commission retains the sole mandate to recruit, deploy and discipline teachers, while political leaders have no legal role in teacher postings.
In 2024, the Anglican Church of Kenya under the leadership of South Nyanza Diocese Bishop Simon Onyango protested the transfer of Dr Jenipher Otolo from Ogande Girls.
Dr Otolo was moved to Mudavadi Girls High School in Vihiga County and replaced by Dr Jane Odhiambo, who currently heads the institution.
The church urged the TSC to revoke the transfer, citing what it termed as Dr Otolo’s strong performance and supervision of major projects sponsored by Ida Odinga, including the construction of a modern library.
The dispute left the school without a substantive principal for nearly two months, forcing the deputy principal to temporarily oversee operations.
It is not only leaders and institutions that have sought to challenge TSC decisions. On several occasions, ordinary community members have also attempted to influence who heads schools in their localities.
The latest incident occurred at Moi Girls Sindo in Suba South, where residents staged protests last week over leadership changes introduced by the commission.
Led by Prof Medo Misama, the demonstrators demanded that TSC revoke the transfer.
“We need someone with a clear history of good performance. This is not a dumping ground for failed principals,” he said.
But Ms Omwanda appealed to parents and members of the community to remain calm and help create a conducive learning environment that would enable the school to excel in upcoming national examinations.
Back at St Mark’s Secondary School Obambo, members of the Board of Management resolved to take the battle to the corridors of justice in yet another attempt to block the transfer of Mr Wao, who was to be replaced by Gordon Kagola, formerly the principal of Pala Mixed Secondary School.
“These occurrences of the Teachers Service Commission transferring principals without proper consultation with the board of management and other stakeholders should stop and for this matter the board of this institution is challenging that decision in a court of law,” Gordon Lelo, chairman of the BOM.
