Teachers Heckle KUPPET Secretary General at Ruto’s State House Forum
Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Secretary General Akello Misori on Saturday afternoon faced a dramatic moment at State House, Nairobi, after part of the crowd of teachers began heckling him as he delivered his speech.
The incident took place during the Walimu na Rais (Teachers with the President) forum, which brought together about 10,000 teachers for a meeting with President William Ruto.
Misori had been invited to the podium to share his remarks, but trouble started when he raised concerns about how Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) are being hosted in primary institutions.
He suggested that the matter should be reviewed more critically, arguing that JSS learners would be better served if they were moved to senior secondary schools instead.
“As much as affordability has been achieved in our schools, an issue that has been ignored and must be interrogated further is the decision to domicile Junior Secondary Schools in primary schools,” Misori said. His remarks quickly drew loud objections, with some teachers waving their hands and shouting in disagreement.
Although Misori attempted to remain calm and continued with his speech, the heckling grew louder. Teachers voiced their disapproval openly, with some even demanding that he step down from the stage. The tension escalated to the point where Misori was forced to cut short his address midway.
Sensing the situation was getting out of control, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok stepped in to restore order. He pleaded with the teachers to maintain calm, reminding them that President Ruto had already heard their concerns. “Order! His Excellency has heard you! Let us be quiet, we need order.
The president has already heard you,” Bitok told the agitated crowd as he struggled to calm them. After a five-minute standoff, Misori was eventually handed back the microphone to conclude his remarks.
Despite the disruption, the day’s meeting went on as planned. President Ruto used the opportunity to reaffirm his government’s commitment to strengthening Kenya’s education system.
He highlighted several achievements made under his administration, including the employment of over 76,000 teachers to ease staffing shortages.
The Head of State also pointed out that the government has built more than 23,000 classrooms across the country, rolled out the Open University of Kenya, and introduced a new student-centered higher education funding model designed to make learning more accessible while ensuring universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions have sufficient resources.
Ruto further assured the educators that his government is focused on addressing challenges linked to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), promising to continue engaging with stakeholders to make sure the system works effectively for both learners and teachers.
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