The Kenya Union of Post Primary School Teachers (KUPPET) has directed that it would seek a legal remedy against the Ministry of Education and that of Health on the issue of Sacred Heart Mukumu Girls where four girls and one teacher lost their lives after a strange bacterial infection emerged at the institution, affecting learning.
While addressing the media on the matter on Wednesday, April 19, KUPPET Secretary General, Akelo Misori, disclosed that the union will also go to court over what he termed as the ‘illegal’ transfer of Mukumu Girls Principal Frida Ndolo after the tragedy, which has left several other schools in panic over the state of hygiene, occurred.
“We are representatives of the people and can sue on behalf. We have lost our member because of their negligence.
“We are suing the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education on behalf of families who may not have the voice to do so. We demand that the two ministries pay the damages and I know every court in this land will listen to us,” he said.
Misori said that the situation at Mukumu Girls could have been salvaged had the two ministries addressed it early as the student population surpassed the number that the school could accommodate.
‘The ministry has compliance issues, as long as no deaths or diarrhea has been reported, nobody cares of compliance,” he added.
He further said that it was unjust for the Ministry to forcefully transfer the head teacher and dissolve the school board, calling it a cover-up instead of dealing with the real issue.
The unionist has blamed the introduction of 100 per cent transition from primary schools to secondary schools which has brought about the bulging number of students in institutions, leading to train in management of hygiene due to overpopulation.
The Secretary General called upon Education CS, Ezekiel Machogu, to form a team to review safety and hygiene issues in schools across the country.
By Allan Kibet
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