A section of Christian clerics and leaders from Garissa have faulted the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for transferring all non-local teachers from North Eastern region.
Addressing the press in Garissa town on Wednesday, Rev. David Matolo of Redeemed Church said the teachers’ employer should have consulted widely before unilaterally transferring all non-local teachers from the region.
TSC started the mass transfers last week following the killing of three non-local teachers by Al-Shabaab militants in Kamuthe, Garissa County mid last month.
Matolo said that transferring the teachers is like surrendering to the Al-Shabaab.
“What message are we passing to Al-Shabaab? That we are defeated, we are surrendering and you have won the battle,” Matolo said.
“This is unacceptable and TSC should cancel some of the transfers,” he added.
Matolo who has lived in Garissa for over 30 years said that there are several sub-counties that are safe and the non-local teachers should not have been removed.
He said TSC should have redeployed the teachers from sub-counties especially those along the border to safer sub-counties “as a stop gap measure as solution to the affected sub-counties is being sought.”
“We are killing the education sector and by extension the future of the children from the region through these transfers. There is no learning taking place as we speak,” he said.
Rev. Joseph Mwasya of the Church in the Rock said ‘today it’s the teachers, tomorrow the nurses, doctors, security officers and other civil servants will take queue. At this rate churches will be empty and maybe we shall be forced to close them’.
Mwasya who is the vice chair of the interfaith committee that brings together Muslim and Christian clerics said that the government should guarantee the security of all civil servants, including non-local teachers and the institutions they working in.
The cleric who was born and raised in Garissa also urged the local leaders to stop utterances that would complicate an already fragile situation.
The Garissa Nominated MCA, Teresia Queen Titus blamed a section of local leaders for fueling the situation through their reckless utterances. She said the withdrawal of non-local teachers was not the solution to the education crisis facing the region and called on the government to beef up security and secure its borders.
Kithaka Mwandwa, a Kamaba social welfare chair urged the security agencies to act on information volunteered to them by the wananchi on criminal elements.
By Jacob Songok
