Parents Protests TSC Transfer of Ober High School Principal
On March 13, 2023, a standoff occurred at Ober High School in Rachuonyo East sub-county, Homa Bay, as hundreds of parents protested against the transfer of the school’s principal, Tom Odhiambo Mboya.
The parents claimed that Mboya had made significant improvements to the school’s performance and that they would not tolerate any attempts to replace him. Led by former Homa Bay Member of County Assembly Ouma Odiango, the parents were joined by community members who shared their sentiments.
According to the parents, the decision to replace Mboya with Bonventure Omondi, the former principal of St. Mary’s Yala, was unacceptable, and they demanded that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) reverse the decision.
They argued that Omondi’s transfer to Ober High would take the school back to the “dark days” when it used to perform poorly.
The parents cited the school’s recent achievements, such as a mean grade of 8.8 in the 2021/2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination results, which was an improvement from a mean grade of 4.2 three years ago when Mboya joined the school.
Additionally, out of the 207 candidates who sat for the KCSE in the same year, 198 got direct entry to university.
The parents also accused the TSC of disregarding their concerns and imposing unpopular decisions on them. They claimed that the incoming principal had previously cancelled his transfer to another school following a demonstration by parents and students over poor performance.
They further argued that they would not allow any principal who had been chased away due to poor performance to head their school.
However, Caleb Oyiecho, one of the school’s board members, stated that nobody had ever raised any complaints about the leadership of the current principal. He noted that Mboya had only served in the school for less than three years, and therefore, it was unfair to transfer him without any legitimate reasons.
Mboya has since been transferred to Ugenya Girls High School in Siaya County, but he is yet to report to his new workstation.
The parents have vowed to continue protesting until the TSC reverses its decision to transfer Mboya and replaces him with a competent principal who will maintain the school’s excellent performance.
Parents Protests TSC Transfer of Ober High School Principal