KUPPET calls for urgent evacuation of 150 Kenyan teacher trainees stranded in Tanzania
This comes amid reports that John Okoth Ogutu, a Kenyan teacher at Sky Schools in Dar es Salaam, was reportedly shot dead during the post-election unrest in the neighbouring country.
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) has called on the government to urgently intervene to ensure the safety of 150 Kenyan teacher trainees stranded in Tanzania amid ongoing political unrest in the neighbouring country.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Kuppet Secretary-General Akelo Misori alleged that some of the teachers have received death threats, and a few have lost their lives.
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“While a few Kenyan teachers have lost their lives, many more have received death threats for alleged participation in protests. Some have had their post-graduate studies affected by the crisis,” Misori said.
He described the situation as “very unfortunate”, noting that the trainees, who are pursuing master’s programs at Aga Khan University, are effectively being held “hostage” with limited access to communication devices.
Misori emphasised that teachers should be able to work and study in the region without fear, urging the government to act swiftly to bring them home until the situation stabilises.
"As much as we have not had many families complain about the state of teachers, nearly 150 teacher graduate students at Aga Khan University who are undergoing a master's program are holed up in Tanzania. And they are held hostage with very limited communication gadgets open to them," he said.
"This is very unfortunate. We are living in a region, and therefore we must express ourselves; we must have freedom to stay in this particular region without fear. And this kind of anxiety must also be resolved."
The union has specifically called on the Cabinet Secretaries for Education and Foreign Affairs to intervene in the crisis to protect the teachers’ lives, preserve their education, and facilitate the repatriation of any Kenyans who have died in the unrest.
Misori stressed the urgency of the intervention, pointing out that anxiety among affected teachers is growing as the situation persists.
"We are asking the government to expedite the return of these Kenyans until the situation in Tanzania becomes bearable for our Kenyan colleagues to stay," said Misori.
This comes amid reports that John Okoth Ogutu, a Kenyan teacher at Sky Schools in Dar es Salaam, was reportedly shot dead during the post-election unrest in the neighbouring country.
Kuppet also linked the crisis to broader professional concerns, noting that the Teacher Service Commission (TSC) should by now have given notice to interns transitioning to permanent employment, to reduce uncertainty and anxiety among Kenyan educators.
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