Mufutu Secondary School in Lugari Ward, Lugari Sub-county, is witnessing the long overdue change of guard after the principal, Tom Kitiabi, got a transfer in the recent changes by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
Mr. Kitiabi, who has been transferred to Samitsi Boys in Malava Sub-County, Kakamega County, now leaves the school under his deputy, Ms. Petronilla Lukulu, who will be principal in acting capacity.
Mr. Kitiabi has been leading the county-level school for 10 years since 2013, with his recent leadership days experiencing backlash from the community following a series of poor performances recorded in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.
In November 2022, his students went on a rampage in protest of a number of issues, such as mistreatment from the principal and poor learning conditions.
Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera, during the education committee meeting with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) CEO, Nancy Macharia in December 2022, notably cited the issue at Mufutu Secondary School in Lugari Ward, saying its ‘absentee’ principal, Tom Kitiabi, was one of the reasons for the school’s misfortunes.
More pressure for him to leave piled after a dismal performance in the latest KCSE 2022 in which 36 candidates recorded E’s as the leading got a C- (minus), missing a university entry.
Looking six years back into Mr. Kitiabi’s leadership
The school’s performance in the last six 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.
KCSE | Mean Score | University Entries |
2022 | – | 0 |
2021 | 3.54 | 3 |
2020 | 3.78 | 5 |
2019 | 3.94 | 4 |
2018 | 3.93 | 5 |
2017 | 3.64 | 6 |
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.