Retired Senior Chief for Sitikho Sub location Julius Wafula Masibo cited insecurity as a major challenge for chiefs and their assistants during his retirement ceremony which was held at Milo Primary school in Sitikho location, Webuye West Constituency in Bungoma County. He stated that the incumbent chiefs and assistant chiefs should make sure that they work hand in hand with residents so as to fight insecurity.
He appreciated the national government for starting the program of giving out motor cycles to chiefs for this would make their work more efficiently. However, he advised chiefs and their assistants to be objective while handling cases and stop being partisan for this would cost them their jobs.
The Senior Chief said that parents should know how their children are associating with their peers, and he stated that many school-going girls are caught in defilement cases and this leads to early pregnancy cases, just because their parents aren’t concerned with what they do.
“As you can see, we have girls who go to schools that are far from where they stay, due to this they have to leave home early and as a result, some of them are enticed by boda bodas, resulting in early pregnancy cases,” said Masibo.
He, therefore, urged parents to be escorting their children to school early in the morning to avoid such incidences. “As a responsible parent, it is better to be accompanying your child to school that early so as to keep her safe from men who seek to entice them and prevent them from realizing their dreams in school,” he added.
Bungoma East KNUT Executive Secretary Aggrey Namisi, condemned the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) for having not paid teachers who invigilated exams last year in both KCSE and KCPE, something he termed unfortunate because this year’s exams are about to begin. “Last year’s invigilators and supervisors of the national exams have not been paid therefore this year they will not supervise exams again unless KNEC pays them their dues,” said Namisi.
Namisi stated that they will support education Minister in the fight against exam malpractices because what they always want to see is that their children get results as required. He said that head teachers and principals are not supposed to go and collect exams as it was said by the Education Minister since that is not their work. He urged KNEC to deploy other teaches to do it as they are the ones to supervise and invigilate exams.
“We shall support the Education Minister in the fight against exam cheating because after our children sit for exams, the aim is to receive results, but we shall not accept the initiative by headteachers and principals to collect and supervise exams because their work is to prepare exam centres, therefore, supervisors and invigilators should be deployed to do that work,” he affirmed.
He cited that the issue of merging schools to make one exam centre is unacceptable since incase of anything the head teacher and the supervisor of that particular school are the ones to be held accountable.
“We have refused the issue of merging of schools to make an exam centre because nobody will be held accountable in case of exam cheating, we want every principal or head teacher to be responsible because the exam is manned in their area of authority,” said Namisi.
He also urged the Education CS to release Free Primary Funds (FPE) to enable the headteachers to pay their subordinate staff, if not they will direct the workers to go and camp at TSC offices till they are given their dues.
“We are giving the Education CS a notice of 7 days to release FPF to enable the school to pay their subordinate staffs otherwise we are going to tell them to go and camp at TSC offices and be paid, and this should not be taken lightly,” he asserted.
Sitikho location acting Chief Emmanuel Murokoyo praised the retired senior chief Masibo for being a good team leader, saying that since he joined the administration, he has worked with him without being over burdened.
He also said that Masibo was an administrator who never undermined anybody including his assistants, village leaders, and residents.
His sentiments were lauded by senior chief for Maraka location Mr. Ngano who added that Masibo had dedicated all his time to serve his people and discouraged him to join politics saying that perhaps people could go to him and persuade him to vie for any seat in politics and encouraged him to do any other duties to continue fending for his family.
Principals and head teachers from different schools in the region including Milo girls, Sitikho Secondary school, Milo Primary, Mukite DEB Primary school praised him for his support in building schools where he has ever been in the fore front whenever fund raising is done. During his reign, he was an advocate of education and through him, Milo girls Secondary School and Mukite Secondary School were begun through his efforts.
Finally, Masibo appreciated Sitikho location residents and various leaders who gave him support during the 25 years he served as Chief.