By Tony Wafula, Bungoma
Education stakeholders in Bungoma County are calling for the immediate removal of County Education Director Pius Ng’oma, citing allegations of corruption and mismanagement of funds allocated to the education sector.
Addressing the media in Bungoma, Bungoma County Kuppet Executive Secretary Augustine Luketelo and backed by the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), the stakeholders accused Ng’oma of failing to provide transparency regarding the budget for education-related activities.
They argue that the lack of clarity surrounding the allocation of these funds has placed an undue burden on both teachers and students.
Luketelo, in his remarks, emphasized that it had long been a practice for County Education Directors to convene meetings with local education stakeholders to discuss funding for co-curricular activities, including drama and sports.
However, unionists noted that this practice has been absent under Ng’oma’s leadership for the past three years.
“For the past three years, we have been kept in the dark,” Luketelo said.
He added “We have had no understanding of how much money the county receives for school activities. Our students are stranded, unable to progress in games and other co-curricular activities, as schools have not received the necessary funds. The County Director has failed to respond to our repeated pleas for action,”
The frustrations were also voiced by Mandila Robert, KNUT Executive Secretary of Bungoma, who condemned Ng’oma’s alleged behavior of visiting schools and demanding money from head teachers during his visits.
“He has turned into a tax collector, going from one school to another and demanding money from school heads. We strongly condemn such actions and demand his immediate removal from office,” Mandila said.
Mandila further pointed out that despite multiple attempts to engage with Ng’oma, their concerns have been disregarded, leaving the stakeholders with little choice but to consider more drastic measures.
“Bungoma has a strong track record in games and co-curricular activities, but this is being undermined by the lack of support for such initiatives. This failure is especially egregious given that the county receives government funding for these activities,” he explained.
The stakeholders issued a stern warning, stating that if the relevant authorities do not take swift action to remove Ng’oma from his post, they will resort to protests.
The unionists have threatened to hold a peaceful demonstration to demand his removal.
“We have had enough. Our teachers are demoralized and exhausted by this ongoing mistreatment. Bungoma is not a tax collection office, and we are calling for his immediate removal. If the authorities do not act, we will organize a peaceful protest to ensure his departure from office,” Mandila stated.
Attempts to reach Ng’oma for a comment were unsuccessful, as he was absent from the office and did not respond to calls.
