Lugari Sub-County Police Commander Bernard Ngungu addressing Mufutu Secondary school students at the Lugari Division Assistant County Commissioner’s office at Lugari Centre during the November 2022 strike/Joseph Amunya Otieno, West FM
Mufutu Secondary School in Lugari Constituency was on Monday closed indefinitely after students waged a full-blown demo to highlight a number of challenges they said they were undergoing at school.
The students broke loose after vandalizing property in the school compound, including doors and window panes, and headed to the Lugari Division Assistant County Commissioner’s office at Lugari Centre.
They carried placards and chanted songs to chastise their principal, Mr. Tom Kitiabi, for running the school as a personal enterprise and turning a deaf ear to their grievances.
Key among the issues they raised was teachers arriving in school late and turning up in class drunk.
Other issues were as follows:
- Extremely low number of teachers in school
- Insufficient food in the school where some students miss food during meal time
- Insufficient teachers to teach Mathematics, Geography and Business Studies
- Poor hygiene, sorry state of some classrooms and toilets
- Absenteeism of the Business Studies teacher
- A huge electricity bill despite the fact that most of them have cleared school fees
- Absenteeism of the school principal Mr. Kitiabi and the inactivity of his deputy, Petronila Lukulu
- Teachers failing to honor remedial classes despite the students paying for them
- Principal failing to erect school fence and a water source
- Principal running the school as a personal enterprise
The agitated leaners managed to get the ears of Lugari Sub-county OCPD Bernard Ngungu, the Sub-county Deputy Director of Education Phyllis Shitanda and the area Director of Education Margaret Igwatai.
After listening to them, the education office decided to close the mixed and day school indefinitely and called an urgent BOM meeting on Tuesday.
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The school management should be blamed and the area Chief and local leaders. Please this is government school and all the stake older should have the roles even from the education board of management.
We are done if this is happening at the school i cant imagine. Why are you killing the poor learners. Teachers remember we will be judged harshly. Our able Mp Nabii do something. You have good strategies for education in Lugari. Hao ni walimu wanapata mshahara. Wawache kubeba watoto wa watu hivyo.
The grievances should be investigated and recommendations implemented ASAP.
However, the team should also investigate and discipline any teacher who may have incited students. They should have staged a peaceful demonstration instead of engaging in hooliganism.