Teachers at Litein High School in Kericho County have demanded immediate transfers ahead of the school’s reopening on Tuesday, citing safety concerns and unfair treatment following recent student unrest.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, the educators, through the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), expressed fear for their safety and said they were not ready to resume duty as directed by the government.
KUPPET Kericho Executive Secretary Mary Rotich urged the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to act swiftly and recall all teachers from the institution, saying they had been unfairly blamed after the school administration imposed heavy fines on parents to repair damages caused during the September 21 protest.
“I call upon the TSC to withdraw all teachers from Litein High so that we can go back to the drawing board. We need teachers to be respected and their dignity upheld,” said Rotich.
She further noted that the teachers were being unfairly portrayed as beneficiaries of the incident, an accusation she strongly refuted.
“We are being labelled as though we were waiting for this strike to get some money from parents. To correct this thinking, I call upon the TSC to recall all the teachers so that we can discuss and agree before anything else goes on,” she added.
According to KUPPET, property worth millions of shillings belonging to teachers was destroyed during the student protests, leaving them emotionally and financially distressed.
The teachers’ union has maintained that until their safety is guaranteed and a fair resolution is reached, they will not return to the school.
The standoff adds to growing tensions in learning institutions across the country, where teacher welfare and security have increasingly come under scrutiny following waves of student unrest.
As the Tuesday reopening date approaches, the Teachers Service Commission is now under pressure to intervene and mediate between the teachers and the school’s management to ensure normal learning resumes smoothly.
