The going gets tough in Kuya’s deputy head stint
In agreeing to work with Kuya, I wasn’t looking forward to his contribution, but to him not opposing anything that I came up with – and opposing for the sake of, well, opposing.
For a long time, the belief has been that the differences between Kuya and I have been a major impediment to not only the peace and tranquillity of Mwisho wa Lami Primary School, but also its progress and development. In agreeing to work with Kuya, I wasn’t looking forward to his contribution, but to him not opposing anything that I came up with – and opposing for the sake of, well, opposing.
It is still early, but not everyone is happy with me working with Kuya, and this is already causing a rift in the school.
As you know, following the truce that was brokered by Hitler, Mwisho wa Lami’s eminent entrepreneur and industrialist in the alco-beverage sector, and Apostle Elkana, the Revered Principal Superintendent of Thoag (The Holiest of All Ghosts) Tabernacle Assembly, I appointed Kuya as the acting deputy with immediate effect.
Since the appointment was in acting capacity, I did not expect that there would be any issues around this. Come Monday, I decided not to go to school early. After all, I had an eager second-in-command who would want to prove his mettle by being there early.
Go to school early Kuya did, but I am made to understand that it was a dramatic morning. Mrs Atika was the teacher on duty and although she arrived early in school, she arrived after Kuya. That is where the problems began, I would be told later.
Although I had never named Mrs Atika as acting deputy, both of us had been acting as though she was my acting deputy. She would start staff meetings in my absence and I would give her more responsibilities than others. Since Mrs Atika is just a few years from retirement, I did not expect her to have some unrealistic ambitions of promotion, unlike the rest of the colleagues that would kill anyone to be called deputy.
So, over the weekend, I was surprised when Nyayo asked me why I was sacrificing the people of Mwisho wa Lami in favour of outsiders.
“Be careful,” said Nyayo. “Your new friendship with Kuya should not mean you start sacking our own people.”
Even Fiolina was not happy.
“In the big company where I worked, we tried to ensure that where the boss was a man, the next in line was a woman and vice versa,” she said. “Clearly, gender balance is a causality of your truce with Kuya – a truce that everyone knows will not last.”
Anyhow, back to Monday morning. Kuya asked Mrs Atika why she had arrived late. Mrs Atika, taken aback, asked Kuya if she had arrived late, or whether Kuya had just arrived earlier.
“Unlike you, I have been present. So, I know the correct school arrival time,” she told him.
Kuya, I am told, did not pursue this. But they would later disagree on how Mrs Atika was supervising the morning clean-up. If Mrs Atika was angry, she did not show it. But she waited until later that afternoon. We usually have staff meetings in the morning but last Monday, Kuya convened one in the afternoon.
“Why are we having a staff meeting in the afternoon instead of morning when we are fresh?” Asked Madam Ruth.
I did not respond; I was not the one who had called for the meeting in the afternoon.
“I agree that we are fresh and sharp in the morning and we need to take that freshness and sharpness where it is required – to the students,” said Kuya.
He went on: “Most of us are usually either away or dozing in the staffroom in the afternoons, so I thought we use afternoons for meetings.”
“Speak for yourself, Mr Kuya,” said Lena, her bad hair in tow. “Unlike you, we take our responsibilities seriously and have always been in school, working all afternoons. If you do not work in the afternoon, speak for yourself.”
“I did not mean that. I meant that it is much better to be in class in the morning when learners are fresh and do meetings in the afternoons. Anyway, let us get started.”
He had listed timetable changes, school discipline and JSS preparations as the three items on the agenda
“Why do we want to change the timetable?” Asked Alex. “Has it not been working well?”
“No one says it hasn’t been working well,” said Kuya. “But any good thing can be made better.”
Many other teachers asked the same question, but Kuya asked them to relax and wait to see the new timetable he had before raising any issue.
“This is worse than what we had,” complained Madam Ruth when Kuya showed it.
“I honestly thought you had something better, not this,” she said. “I am sorry, but you will not force it down our throats.”
Mrs Atika, who had been quiet, spoke up finally: “Congratulations, Mr Kuya, on your appointment as acting deputy HM.”
“Deputy HM, not acting deputy,” Kuya corrected her.
“Whatever. You are not the first and last to hold that useless position,” she dismissed him. “Anyway, as you take this new job, I want you to know that this school has been running smoothly, without you.”
“I agree, but…”
“Can you please listen, Kuya!” said Mrs Atika, sternly.
“You need to recognise the legitimacy of us who have been working hard to run the school. If you can’t recognise us and all we have done while you were busy fighting Dre, then I am sorry but you will achieve nothing.”
He did not even bring the other two agenda items but asked me to close the meeting. I thanked everyone for attending the meeting in the afternoon and wished them a great week ahead. Interesting times lie ahead. Sit back!
