What forced me to leave Kuya in charge of school
Lena was heavily pregnant followed by Madam Ruth, who was about six months pregnant.
As you may already know, there is taskforce that I put in place to help me identify a suitable acting deputy HM to help me run the school since the TSC seems to have forgotten that we exist.
Ever since the sub-county director of education orchestrated the belated retirement of Bensouda, she has never come back to the school and she seems to believe that it’s running smoothly since they know that nothing can go wrong when I am around.
That is why I have been acting as the HM while continuing to serve as the deputy HM given that I could not just appoint someone. Once in a while, I give one teacher the deputy HM’s responsibilities, but not for long. Those outside the school think it is an easy job, but I tell you that the number of Kenyans who can do what I do are not more than five.
And although I gave the taskforce three weeks to give me two names to choose from, a trip to Nairobi has come up and as a responsible school administrator, I cannot leave the institution like that. I had to think about who I will leave in charge of the school for the one week I will be away starting tomorrow.
As a progressive man not afraid of women empowerment, I prefer a woman. But the more I thought of the woman to appoint, the more I realised that I have talented teachers who, unfortunately, cannot lead despite the fact that I coach them every now and then.
Good woman
Almost retiring, Mrs Atika has no interest in leadership, and the last time I left her in charge of the school, she left someone else in charge. Lena, her bad hair in tow, is good, but I did not think of her because she has never looked the part. There is a way a deputy or HM looks like...
Madam Ruth is a good woman, but you all know that she is the wife of Juma, whom I replaced as deputy HM of this school. Juma has always wanted to come back and I will only be helping him by appointing his wife a deputy HM. That left me with only two options: Sella or Nzomo
Young, vibrant and forward-looking, Nzomo looks like a good fit for the role. Only her closeness with my nemesis Kuya is her undoing although I am not so sure they are still together. Sella , too, is a solid teacher, but she is always busy with school-work at Maseno University, where she has been studying for a degree for so long.
I decided to engage each of them to see who I would appoint.
“Thanks for calling me, I was even planning to call you,” said Nzomo when I called her.
She went on: “I just wanted you to know that I may not report to school as expected because of some personal problems,” she said. I asked her to tell me more.
“You can trust me,” I said.
“Dre, I am in my first trimester and it is not easy.”
“Congratulations for starting your studies,” I said.
“The first semester was also difficult, but I managed. You will also manage.”
“I did not mean that,” she corrected me. “I am pregnant.”
I may be trying to hide it, but I must say I was upset. I felt cheated. But, reluctantly, I congratulations her.
“Dre you must be blind,” Nzomo said when I told her that I would call Lena.
“I am not so sure she will accept given that her baby comes next month,” she said.
This came to me as a shocker for I had never noticed that Lena was pregnant.
Other than her bad hair, Lena is a poor dresser who dons loose fitting dresses. And I have never really looked at her closely.
Female tutors
My options were now limited to Sella and Madam Ruth. “Don’t tell me they are pregnant as well,” I said.
“But surely Dre, are you really our HM?” She asked. “Have you been looking around? Look at Madam Ruth tomorrow closely.”
“What about her?” I asked. “I know her husband Juma and the last we spoke he said they had had enough children.”
“Eish Dre,” said Nzomo. “Ruth and Juma separated long ago, you mean you don’t know?”
I said I was in the dark but she told me to stop pretending. “Everyone knows that you are the father of the baby she is carrying.”
“What!” I exclaimed, then laughed out loudly.
The next day I came to school with one mission — to stare at the female tutors.
Difficult as it was, I closely looked at the teachers from top to bottom, but from a distance. Lena was heavily pregnant followed by Madam Ruth, who was about six months pregnant. I was not so sure about Sella, but her feet looked swollen, and she had pimples on her face, which is unusual.
I realised that I could not leave any of the women in charge of the school — they would all refuse.
After careful thought, I left Kuya in charge. There is nothing major he can change within a week.
Before I go to Nairobi, I will pass by Kakamega to visit Fiolina for a few days. Everyone in the staffroom cannot be getting babies while I remain behind. Plus, it is time for Sospeter to have a sister. Or brother. Lets revive this debate after10 months.
