The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), Kisumu Branch, has come out guns blazing against Kisumu East MP Shakeel Shabbir, accusing him of hiring goons to violently block and attack teachers who were on their way to St. Peter’s Kindu Secondary School in Kajulu. The incident, which left four teachers injured and hospitalized, has sparked outrage and fresh calls for the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to evacuate educators from the institution.
Led by KUPPET Kisumu Executive Secretary Zablon Awange, the teachers condemned what they termed a brazen and unprovoked attack allegedly orchestrated by the MP. According to Awange, the teachers were en route to Kindu to stand in solidarity with colleagues who had recently been verbally assaulted by the MP in a viral video, when they were ambushed.
“Standing with me are teachers from all over Kisumu County. We condemn, in the strongest terms possible, the use of goons to attack teachers in Kisumu East. MP Shakeel Shabbir sent goons who barricaded the road, stoned our union bus, and injured several of our members who are now hospitalized,” said Awange.
He revealed that the MP was within the school compound during the attack, purportedly presiding over the handover of the school to a new principal, an act the union has termed irregular and wrong.
Awange further described the harrowing ordeal, noting that their windscreen was shattered in the melee. “Our mission was peaceful. We were going to show support to our colleagues, only for the MP to unleash violence. The teachers of Kindu are traumatized. We demand that the TSC immediately transfers them to safer working environments,” he said.
Robert Onyando, KUPPET Kisumu Chair, who was aboard the bus during the incident, gave a chilling account of how armed goons stormed the vehicle and lashed out at the teachers with canes.
“I was right inside when they attacked. The road to Kindu is terrible, and that’s exactly where the MP positioned his goons. Today has shown clearly that schools within Kisumu East are no longer safe under this MP’s watch,” Onyando stated.
He also criticized the deplorable state of roads leading to learning institutions, saying the MP should focus on infrastructural development instead of intimidation.
The union also took aim at the former TSC CEO Nancy Macharia, blaming her for allegedly handing political figures undue influence in teacher deployment. “What’s happening at Kindu is a culmination of political interference in education. Teachers are being fixed into schools irregularly,” Onyando claimed.
Despite MP Shabbir issuing a public apology after the video of him verbally attacking teachers at Kindu over poor performance went viral and triggered widespread backlash, KUPPET says the apology is not enough.
“We reject the MP’s verbal apology. He must issue a formal, written apology and submit it to the KUPPET office in Kisumu. His actions were demeaning, reckless, and dangerous,” said Awange.
The union now demands that the TSC withdraws all teachers from Kindu Secondary and considers reclassifying the institution as a private school under the MP’s control, citing chronic political interference and safety concerns.
“This school, under these conditions, is not fit to be a public institution. The TSC must act now before another tragedy occurs,” Awange concluded.
As investigations continue, the Kisumu education sector finds itself at a crossroads, with growing fears over teacher safety, politicization of schools, and escalating tensions between elected leaders and education stakeholders.
