The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Bomet Branch has demanded the immediate removal of Chepalungu Sub-county Director of Education Bismarck Oigere over alleged corruption and abuse of office.
Branch Executive Secretary Desmond Langat accused the education official of turning the sub-county education office into what he termed a “bribe collection centre,” claiming teachers seeking services were allegedly being forced to pay money to access assistance.
Addressing the press in Bomet, Langat said the union had already written to Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bittok demanding immediate action against the director.
“We have formally written to the Principal Secretary seeking urgent intervention because teachers in Chepalungu are suffering due to the conduct of the director,” said Langat.
The union official alleged that Oigere had for years engaged in corrupt practices and was no longer focused on delivering services to teachers and schools effectively.
“The director has turned his office into a reception area for bribes instead of serving teachers professionally,” he claimed.
According to Langat, teachers seeking various services from the office were allegedly being compelled to part with amounts ranging between Sh3,000 and Sh10,000 before receiving assistance.
“We have received numerous complaints from teachers who have been asked to pay money before accessing services. We also have evidence and testimonies from affected teachers,” he stated.
Langat further accused the director of unlawfully taking over the role of approving school budgets despite there being no policy from the MoE in granting him such powers.
“He has taken it upon himself to approve school budgets, yet no such requirement exists within the Ministry of Education policies,” he said.
The KNUT official questioned why the alleged requirement was being imposed only on primary schools and not secondary schools, terming the move discriminatory and irregular.
“Why is this only mandatory for primary schools while secondary schools are not subjected to the same process? That is unacceptable,” he added.
Langat argued that Chepalungu is classified as a hardship area and schools in the region require additional support rather than financial exploitation.
“This is a hardship area where schools are already struggling with limited resources. Demanding bribes from school heads and teachers only worsens the situation,” he lamented.
He also linked the alleged corruption to broader frustrations among teachers in the region, including delays and challenges surrounding hardship allowances.
“Our teachers continue to suffer because some nearby regions have already been gazetted as hardship areas while schools here continue to face challenges without adequate support,” Langat said.
The union has now warned that failure by the MoE to take swift action could trigger industrial action by teachers in the area.
“We expect the Principal Secretary to act immediately. If no action is taken, the union will have no option but to mobilize teachers for industrial action to push for the removal of the director,” he warned.
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When contacted for comment, Chepalungu Sub-county Director of Education Bismark Oigere denied the allegations but declined to comment further on the matter.
“I will not comment much on the claims,” said Oigere.
The allegations now place the MoE under pressure to investigate the claims amid growing concerns over accountability and service delivery within education offices at the grassroots level.
By Philip Koech
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