Entrance to Mufutu Secondary School in Lugari Constituency/Sam Oduor, WKT
Mufutu Day and Mixed Secondary School in Lugari Ward, Lugari Constituency, has been in the limelight in recent days after students went on a rampage, demanding key reforms in the management of the institution.
The reforms seem to be taking place slowly, with the sub-county education board having decided on the returning-to-school formula after it was closed indefinitely following the riots that led to vandalism.
The school principal, Mr. Tom Kitiabi, said that every student will pay KSh 200 to cater for repair of the destroyed property during the unrest last week.
Form Four, Form Three, and Form Two students have already reported, and Form Ones are expected back today.
This comes at a moment when the school principal addresses the uncertainty of the senior class, which was at the forefront of the demos in the middle of an exam season.
The principal admitted that the strike will have a negative impact on the school’s performance in the upcoming Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) 2022 results, even though he remains optimistic.
The principal’s side
Mr. Tom Kitiabi has been the head of Mufutu Secondary School since 2013.
In a lengthy interview with the Western Kenya Times, the principal said that the recent unrest by students calls for immediate attention to the issues raised.
He said the tension began when he was bedridden in January of this year and admitted to an infection of the appendix on top of high blood pressure, a factor that shifted his attention from school matters.
That would go on until May, when he was stable enough to attend to his duties.
He said he found the school to be disorderly, with a big lapse in management and a couple of issues that required immediate attention.
On parents’ complaints that he did not involve them in running the school, he said the aftermath of COVID-19, when school meetings were highly restricted, could not allow him to hold PTA meetings.
One parent said the students are divided between a faction that supports the deputy principal and another one that supports the principal.
Looking back five years ago
The school’s performance in the last five years has not been impressive.
In 2017, the school posted a min grade of 3.64 and managed to get six students with university entry grades of C+ and above.
In 2018, five students got university entry grades as the school recorded a min of 3.93, while four students managed a C+ and above in 2019 as the school posted a min of 3.94.
In the KCSE 2020, the school received a mean score of 3.78 as 5 students managed university entry grades, higher than in 2021 when only three students got a C+ and above as the school posted a mean of 3.54.
This year, the school targets a min of 4.0 and increase its university entry grades.
The following table summarizes the schools performance in national exams in the last five years:
| KCSE | Min Score | University Entries |
| 2021 | 3.54 | 3 |
| 2020 | 3.78 | 5 |
| 2019 | 3.94 | 4 |
| 2018 | 3.93 | 5 |
| 2017 | 3.64 | 6 |
…..
Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera is at the forefront of boosting education levels in his constituency. In the last few months since he took office, he has laid out some strategies to ensure schools improve under his administration.
In this feature about five schools preparing for the coming Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), we will be looking back five years to assess the schools’ performance. We also asked school heads about their projections for the coming KCSE 2022 exams.
The schools we selected are Bishop Sulumeti Girls in Lumakanda Ward, St. Paul’s Lugari Boys and Mufutu Secondary School in Lugari Ward, St. Cecelia Girls and St. Augustine’s Mlimani in Mautuma Ward, and Lukhokho Secondary School in Lwandeti Ward.
The schools were selected based on criteria of ranking as well as notable factors such as regional balance and unique educational aspects.
Sam Oduor is the editor-in-chief at the Western Kenya Times who leverages the power of the Internet in telling stories that shape opinions.
