A section of Parents and Board members of Karamugi Girls Secondary School in Tharaka-Nithi County want the Principal, Ms. Elizabeth Wanja removed alleging mismanagement of the institution.
The angry parents accused the principal of running down the institution resulting to poor performance and creating disharmony with the former board and parents. They also accused her of bias towards some teachers and students while discriminating others.
In a letter addressed to TSC Tharaka Nithi County Director, Abukar Hassan by three parents: John Ndung’u, Jamleck Mutembei and Peter Njuguna, who are class representatives, the principal was accused of conducting a parent associations elections contrary to the Education Act, 2013.
The three alleged she oversaw the elections while acting as the returning officer and a voter in addition to coercing two teachers to vote for the candidate that she wanted.
In the letter they claimed that her intention was to have a chairperson that she would manipulate.
They said BOM and Parents Association had unanimously wanted the elections held during the second term but she disregarded them and called for the election on March 18 this year.
They also claim that the teaching fraternity is a divided house where teachers who do not pledge loyalty to her live in fear of being victimized through instigated transfers to hostile areas.
“The principal has failed to post good results for the school, despite us parents providing her with a very good
environment and resources. Children live in fear and the end results being poor results,” read the letter.
Some BOM members and a teacher contacted by the press want the principal transferred to another location for the school to restore its lost glory.
Ndung’u, in a letter to Cabinet Secretary, George Magoha claims the principal implicated eight students with offences that they never committed.
“She implicated them because she had bad blood with parents who resisted her attempts to impose a parent’s association chairperson who was her favourite,” claims Ndung’u in the letter.
When the principal was contacted she denied the allegations terming them as work of propaganda by a few parents who wanted to have their way in Parents Association representative elections.
On allegations of implicating the girls, Ms Wanja claimed that they were found with drugs and appropriate action was taken including counseling the girls and are now back in school.
The Tharaka Nithi TSC Director, Abukar Hassan acknowledged receiving a complaint from the parents upon which he ordered an investigation and made appropriate recommendations to TSC.
The Regional Education Coordinator, Patrick Khaemba also confirmed receiving the complaint adding the aggrieved parents had their children enlisted for indiscipline that involved possessing and abusing drugs.
On performance of the school, Khaemba said the decline was not just in that school and could be due to the reforms in the education sector.
By Kimani Tirus
