Newly transferred Keveye Girls Principal Violet Oyungu has been rejected by the Board of Management (BoM), the local community and political leaders over claims of poor performance, arrogance and dictatorship among other claims.
On May 11, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) transferred Keveye Girls principal Christine Sifuna to Cardinal Otunga Girls High School in Bungoma replacing her with Ms Oyungu who was heading Nyakach Girls High School.
“It has been decided that you [Christine Sifuna] be transferred from Keveye Girls secondary school to Cardinal Otunga Girls High school as principal and to teach History and CRE with effect from May 12, 2023. You will hand over the administration of the institution to Oyungu Violet Ambiyo,” the letter from TSC, authored by Lilian Mwangi, reads in part.
However, the Chavakali Yearly Meeting of Friends Church (Quakers) Presiding Clerk Jumba Yalwala penned a letter to TSC protesting against Oyungu.
“The incoming principal is associated with the diminishing academic standards at Nyakach Girls. She is combative and arrogant in her administration,” the letter states in part.
The letter further reads: “The principal is vindictive, unfriendly and unprofessional in the conduct of her administrative responsibilities. She is reputed with financial impropriety tendencies and misuse of school resources.”
Mr. Yalwala claimed that the principal relates poorly with parents and other stakeholders in the education sector, saying that as a church they do not want to see the school go down the drain under their watch.
“The upshot of the memorandum we sent to TSC is that we reject in totality the posting of Ms Oyungu Violet as Keveye Girls school principal,” he said.
Keveye Girls BoM Chairman Henry Kemoli said that the new principal has a questionable administrative record, saying that in their considered opinion, she would not serve the best interests of the school as currently programmed.
“As a responsible board, we want to oversee a smooth administrative transition at the school by getting a principal who has good integrity with requisite leadership qualities. We strongly oppose Ms. Oyungu taking over as Keveye Girls principal,” he said.
Sabatia MP Clement Sloya said that TSC did not involve the local leadership in fast-tracking the changes at the school, saying he rejects the posting of the new principal.
Mr. Sloya said that Keveye Girls is not a dumpsite for rejected teachers, adding that they demand to have a say on the choice of the new principal.
The MP said the teaching and non-teaching staff and the students were not comfortable with the new principal taking over the management of the school.
“As an elected representative of the people, i have a duty to defend what’s rightfully ours and i have the duty to protect the school from interference by people who are purporting to be helping us when in real sense, they are destroying it,” said Mr. Sloya.
This is the second time she has been rejected from taking over the management of Keveye Girls school.
In 2015, the BoM successfully blocked her transfer and when TSC insisted that she take over the school, the entire board resigned.
By Cally Imbayi
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