Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has issued a strong directive to all school heads, warning them not to break the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) rules by allowing unregistered individuals to train students.
This comes after a recent controversy at Butere Girls High School, where the school administration reportedly invited Cleophas Malala, the former Secretary General of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), to coach students on their drama piece, even though he is not a registered teacher.
Speaking to the media on Friday morning, CS Ogamba emphasized that involving non-teachers in co-curricular activities like drama is a clear violation of the TSC Act of 2018.
The Act clearly prohibits school principals from allowing anyone who is not listed in the official register of teachers—including those previously deregistered—to participate in school programs.
He further reminded all teachers to strictly follow the TSC Code of Conduct and Ethics (2015), which highlights the importance of professionalism in education and the need to safeguard learners, especially during extra-curricular events like drama festivals.
Ogamba firmly stated, “The Ministry wants to remind all school heads that inviting outsiders to train students in co-curricular activities is a breach of TSC rules and goes against the guidelines of the Kenya National Drama and Film Festival.”
While reiterating the Ministry of Education’s commitment to nurturing student talent through various co-curricular activities, the CS urged school principals to respect and follow all laid-down procedures when organizing such events.
He also condemned the actions of Butere Girls High School’s leadership for allegedly letting Malala direct the play titled “Echoes of War.”
Ogamba stressed that the school principal had violated the TSC regulations by engaging someone outside the teaching profession in student affairs.
According to CS Ogamba, the government will not tolerate attempts by any individual to use students to fight political battles or push political agendas within schools.
He stated clearly that political matters should be handled by politicians outside of learning institutions and not brought into the school environment.
Ogamba went on to explain that Malala had reportedly made significant changes to the drama script Echoes of War during the regional level of the competition.
These changes introduced controversial themes that went against the 2025 Rules and Regulations of the Kenya Schools and Colleges National Drama and Film Festival.
Once the school administration discovered the alterations in the script, and realizing that it could no longer qualify for national competition, they decided to pull out the play from the national drama festival. Consequently, the affected students were released to begin their April holidays early.
However, the situation took a legal turn when two separate courts—one based in Kakamega and another in Kisii—issued orders allowing the play Echoes of War to be presented at the national level despite the earlier decision to withdraw it.
The Education Ministry is now urging all schools to act responsibly and within the law when planning co-curricular programs.
CS Ogamba’s message is clear: protecting students and maintaining professional standards in schools must always come first.
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