Salasya eats humble pie, apologises to Isongo school principal

Mumias East MP Peter Salasya has apologised to Mr David Wanjala, the principal of St Stephens Isongo Secondary School, in the wake of controversial scenes witnessed at the institution last week.

The youthful lawmaker, who's attracted controversy in recent times, also apologised to all teachers in Kenya and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

Frog-marching

Mr Salasya was roundly criticized for his role in the events that led to the frog-marching and forceful eviction of the school principal by parents and members of the community. 

They blamed him for poor academic performance at the school in last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.

Mr Salasya was caught on camera speaking during one of the chaotic meetings at the school where learning has been paralysed after the TSC transferred all the teachers from the institution.

The MP made the apology after a meeting at the TSC headquarters in Nairobi attended by MPs from Kakamega County and senior officials of the commission. 

Equal right

“Teachers who are working in various schools have an equal right to security and safety at the workplace and ought to work in an environment free of intimidation, bullying, and assault.

"To this end, the entire leadership of Kakamega County including the Hon Member for Mumias East Hon Peter Salasyia have unreservedly tendered the apology to the principal and all teachers in the Republic, the Teachers Service Commission, and the people of Kenya over the unfortunate incident that occurred at St Gabriel Isongo Secondary School,” said Emmanuel Wangwe, the Member of Parliament for Navakholo who spoke on behalf of the MPs.

In a video clip last week, Mr Salasya was captured alleging that the principal had failed both the students and the community. 

“We want commitment from the principals, that's why we have called for that meeting … no you have to go home. No, acha niweke some sympathy, you have to transfer,” said Salasya.

“Sasa kama wewe ni principal, watoto wanakuja kwa shule (children are in school), wazazi (parents) have done their part, bursary nimelipa (I've distributed bursaries), then? You have not delivered, then it means you cannot whip your teachers to deliver,” he added.

Mr Wangwe emphasised that teachers working in various schools have equal right to security and safety at the workplace and ought to work in an environment free of intimidation, bullying and assault.

Investigation report

He added that the board of management (BoM) of the school will carefully assess an investigation report conducted by the Ministry of Education and the TSC and take corrective measures as recommended.

“The political leadership of Kakamega County will conduct sensitisation programmes to educate the members of the community on proper channels of raising their grievances. The BoM and the sponsor shall work closely with the county security agencies to ensure that the safety and security of teachers in the school is guaranteed,” he said.

Unfair targeting of teachers

The chief executive officer of TSC, Nancy Macharia, expressed concern over unfair targeting of teachers when examination results do not meet parents' expectations. She observed that the results are a cumulative effort involving all stakeholders in the education sector.

“The commission will deploy 17 teachers to the school to expedite the resumption of teaching and learning activities. Meanwhile, I would like to encourage the community and stakeholders to collaborate with teachers in their respective local schools to ensure that academic performance aligns with their expectations,” said Ms Macharia.

She assured that the TSC has established methods for appraising teachers' effectiveness. The commission will not hesitate to take appropriate action against those who fail to meet the required standards. With apologies received from stakeholders, the affected teachers are expected to report to school immediately.

“We have implemented evaluation methods for assessing teachers' performance and are prepared to take action against those who do not meet the established standards. Following apologies from stakeholders, the teachers are expected to promptly return to school,” She noted.