Staffroom Diary: I’m bracing for a fresh battle with Bensouda, Kuya
As expected, Bensouda did not appear in school the first week; but I needed no calculator to know that she was constantly talking to Kuya, and giving him instructions.
If you follow me on this page, then you know Branton. Branton is not your best behaved boy, no; and Branton is not as disciplined as his father; although not many people are! Branton is just Branton, a young boy who is exploring, curious, and therefore, a naughty boy —with the variety of naughtiness that definitely comes from his mother’s side; because if you check our lineage clearly, we only have clean blood.
After spending a few weeks with his mother — and her man — Branton returned home on the Monday that schools reopened. He was dropped by a big county vehicle, the type that reeks of corruption. He reported to school the next day. Electina and Honda, my brother-in-law Tocla’s children, had travelled from Kakamega on Sunday.
With a brand new school uniform and some toys, Branton was on top of the word. I was not surprised when I heard that he was reluctant to help the girls with domestic chores. That was not unusual; boys will always be boys. If you ask my sister Yunia, she will tell you that doing domestic chores was never my strongest point. God created me to do others bigger and better things on this earth — like transforming children from brats to brights!
Instructions
Luckily, Fiolina brought some old woman whom she said would be our house girl. She spent two days with her in Mwisho wa Lami to show her around the house.
“Electina and Honda will be in Mwisho wa Lami just for this term,” she said. “When they go to their next classes, they will join a school in Kakamega. I actually brought the house girl for them; she will be with us in Kakamega from next term.” I did not answer her, not wanting to confront her because there is some money I wanted from her before she returned to Kakamega.
In the meantime, I got engrossed in the hustle and bustle of running the school. As expected, Bensouda did not appear in school the first week; but I needed no calculator to know that she was constantly talking to Kuya, and giving him instructions.
When I called a staff meeting that first week on Friday to plan for the term, only Sella and Mrs Atika turned up. Alex, Lena and Nzomo gave different excuses. Obviously, Kuya was behind this. As an experienced administrator who resents confrontation, I continued with my work as usual. Doesn’t the Bible say that we do our part and leave the rest to God?
I hoped for a better second week, and it couldn’t have started on a worse note than when Bensouda appeared in school last Monday, much earlier than anyone had expected her to. Usually, Bensouda reports towards the third week and so we were all surprised to see her. She did not talk to me, but she invited Kuya to her office.
Unperturbed, I went to class. At around 9.30am, I heard low noises from the neighbouring classes. It was unusual for there to be such noise - unless teachers were not in class. I decided to check; and moved from one class to another. All of them had no teachers.
“This cannot be happening! They must all go to class!” I muttered to myself as I walked to the staffroom.
“Why are we not in class?” I asked as I entered the staffroom. No one answered me. There was silence. The teachers were in a staff meeting, chaired by Bensouda, but with Kuya doing most of the talking.
“I should be the one asking you why you are not in this staff meeting, or did you leave this school?” Asked Bensouda. I told her I was unaware there was a staff meeting. “Ask yourself why you are not aware that there is a staff meeting.” Later on, I learnt that Kuya had, on Sunday, invited everyone for a staff meeting on Monday. Everyone, except me. “You can attend the meeting if you want, or leave, it is up to you,” said Bensouda. “We have started the term well, but there are a few students disturbing us,” said Kuya. “What I want everyone to know is that we will not be afraid to take stern action against any student who misbehaves, it doesn’t matter whose children they are.”
Discipline
Bensouda emphasised this, saying discipline had to be kept at high standards, “I will support you on this Kuya, for that is the only way we will turn around our KCPE performance.”
I said nothing during the whole meeting; I didn't even know the agenda. The meeting ended at lunch time.
With Kuya being Bensouda’s right-hand man, I did not have much to do beyond my classwork, and once done with my classes, I would go to Hitler’s, staying there until very late. With Fiolina eating life with a big spoon in Kakamega, there was nobody to ask me stupid questions, whatever time I arrived. On Friday, I did not have money to go to Hitler’s so I went home at around 2pm; and was shocked to find Branton there. I wondered why he was not in school.
“I was suspended on Wednesday,” he said, adding that he was asked to go with his parents after two weeks. I needed no calculator to know that it was Kuya. I called him immediately. “Are you talking to me as your colleague, boss or as a parent?” He asked. He went on to say that Branton was a bad case and he wouldn’t be admitted unless he registered clear improvement.
“And I told him to come back with both his parents. Father and real mother,” he said “Only then shall we be able to narrow down and know what is troubling him.”
Branton will return to school tomorrow without any conditions. And I will use all avenues to ensure no one messes with him again. If Bensouda and her sidekick Kuya have a problem with me, they should not involve my family, let them face me mundu-khumundu!
