- Kitelakapel TTI learners have protested against Principal Phidis Masai, alleging discrimination, favouritism and poor management.
- Martin Rutto and Hillary Muhalya examine the grievances and institutional mechanisms available for addressing the dispute.
- The protest raises broader questions about student representation, grievance handling, accountability and due process in TVET institutions.
Learners at Kitelakapel Technical Training Institute in West Pokot took to the streets on Saturday, September 26, 2026, carrying placards declaring “PRINCIPAL MUST GO” and demanding the removal of Principal Phidis Masai, turning growing dissatisfaction with the institution’s administration into an open leadership protest.
The demonstration placed the public spotlight on a deepening dispute between sections of the student body and the institution’s management, with learners accusing the administration of selective justice, favouritism, discrimination and poor management.
The protesting students also turned their criticism on the student council, accusing their representatives of siding with the administration instead of defending the interests of the wider college fraternity.
The accusations remain claims by the protesting learners and have not been independently established. Their allegations will therefore require investigation and responses from the administration and other relevant institutional authorities before any conclusion can be reached.
The immediate trigger for Saturday’s unrest was the students’ dissatisfaction with how their grievances have been handled and their demand for decisive action against what they consider failures in institutional leadership.
The protest, however, has now raised a broader question: does Kitelakapel TTI have a grievance system that students trust enough to use before disputes escalate into demonstrations?
Kitelakapel TTI is a public technical and vocational training institution in West Pokot and is registered and licensed by the TVET Authority.
The institution has also been positioned as an important skills-development centre in the region. In 2025, a KASNEB digital training centre was launched at the institute, with the facility intended to expand access to modern skills for learners in West Pokot.
That makes the current unrest significant beyond the immediate disagreement over the principal.
A prolonged leadership dispute can affect the learning environment, student confidence and the institution’s ability to concentrate on its core mandate of technical and vocational training.
Students demand action
The students’ message is unambiguous: “PRINCIPAL MUST GO.”
But the slogan is a student demand, not an administrative decision.
The central issue for the authorities is whether the complaints behind that demand are supported by evidence and whether existing institutional mechanisms have adequately addressed them.
The learners allege that disciplinary and administrative decisions have not been applied equally. They also allege favouritism and discrimination and question the general management of the institution.
If those claims are to be resolved credibly, specific cases should be identified and examined.
Where students allege selective justice, comparable cases can be reviewed. Where discrimination is alleged, the circumstances of the affected learners can be examined. Where poor management is claimed, the specific decisions or failures should be identified.
This would move the dispute from general accusations to verifiable evidence.
Student council caught in the dispute
The student council’s involvement adds another layer to the unrest.
The protesting learners accuse their representatives of having betrayed the college fraternity by siding with management.
That allegation should also be tested rather than assumed to be true.
Student representatives are expected to provide a communication bridge between learners and administration. When students lose confidence in that bridge, grievances can bypass formal structures and become increasingly confrontational.
The dispute therefore raises questions not only about the principal’s leadership but also about the effectiveness of student representation at the institution.
Where can students take their grievances?
Some protesting learners say they have nowhere to take their grievances, a concern that could help explain why they have taken their complaints directly to the streets.
Students should have accessible channels through which they can raise concerns, including student representatives, departmental structures, welfare offices, formal written complaints and suggestion boxes.
Suggestion boxes can provide an additional avenue for learners who may be reluctant to make complaints publicly.
But such mechanisms only work when students believe complaints will be received, recorded, investigated and answered.
A grievance system that exists on paper but is not trusted by its intended users can fail to prevent exactly the kind of escalation witnessed at Kitelakapel.
The protesting learners have also indicated that they could seek intervention from Kapenguria-area MP Samuel Moroto and West Pokot Governor Simon Kachapin, including through possible demonstrations or camping at their offices until their grievances are addressed.
Political leaders can receive petitions, listen to constituents and raise concerns with the responsible authorities. However, the determination of whether a principal should be transferred, disciplined or retained should follow the applicable TVET governance and administrative processes.
The relevant TVET authorities and governing structures should establish the facts and determine what action, if any, is justified.
A Kitelakapel TTI annual report filed with Parliament outlines the council’s responsibility for ensuring an appropriate management structure and monitoring the implementation of institutional policies and plans.
That governance framework provides an avenue for the dispute to move from confrontation towards formal examination.
Students have a right to be heard—and a responsibility to remain peaceful
Learners should be bold enough to raise genuine grievances.
They should also present their complaints responsibly, distinguish allegations from established facts and use available institutional and lawful channels.
Protests should remain peaceful. Property should be protected, intimidation avoided and individual students or staff members should not be subjected to threats because of disagreements.
The administration, equally, has a responsibility to ensure that genuine complaints are not dismissed simply because they have been raised forcefully.
The most constructive response would be an impartial process that examines the allegations, gives the administration an opportunity to respond and communicates the findings to the affected student community.
The question facing Kitelakapel TTI is therefore larger than whether the words “PRINCIPAL MUST GO” remain on student placards.
It is whether the institution can demonstrate that students have credible avenues for raising grievances, that management decisions are based on consistent standards and that allegations of discrimination or selective treatment can be independently examined.
If the allegations are substantiated, appropriate corrective action should follow.
If they are not, students should receive a clear explanation of the findings and the basis for the decisions under dispute.
The objective should not simply be to disperse the protesters or defend the administration.
It should be to establish the facts, protect learners’ rights, uphold due process and restore confidence in the institution.
For the students, the demand remains unequivocal: “PRINCIPAL MUST GO.”
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For the responsible authorities, the task is to determine what happened, whether the grievances are genuine and what action is required to restore stability at one of West Pokot’s key technical training institutions.
By Martin Rutto and Hillary Muhalya
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