126 Teachers In Kenya Blacklisted For Sexually Abusing Schoolchildren

Investigators in Kenya, have said that some 126 teachers, mostly in rural parts of the country, have sexually abused students in their respective schools.

The governing body of the teachers- Teachers Services Commission (TSC), acting based on the report presented by the investigators, has therefore blacklisted these teachers and have said they will not be allowed to teach again in the country.

Details of the report has it that 100 of the teachers engaged in sexual relations with students, actions which are in breach of their professional code of conduct. 124 of the blacklisted teachers are males, while two are females.

Among those struck out, is a teacher who sodomized a 19-year-old student in March 2013. This heinous act sparked a national debate about the code of conduct for teachers in the country.

The report released was said to have been compiled between 2011 and 2014. But in 2010, a similar report found that more than 1000 teachers had engaged in similar abuses against students. All of them were sacked.

The Child Welfare Society of Kenya, has urged the director of public prosecutions to ensure those convicted are imprisoned in order to protect other children in the future.

The TSC Chief Executive Officer-Gabriel Lengoiboni, reportedly told nation.co.ke that the report might not be the true reflection of the moral rot in schools in the country.

“We have a lot of cover-ups by parents, communities and some teachers of cases of sexual relations between teachers and their students. Some are even unwilling to give evidence,” he said.

However, there are fears that these banned teachers might find their way back into the classroom in private schools. The abuses occurred in government schools.

But, Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Private School Association- Peter Ndoro, said his association is working with the TSC to ensure that the banned teachers do not find their way into any private school in the country.

“We are working closely with the TSC, which registers teachers in public and private schools, to keep off teachers who have been dismissed because of professional misconduct,” Ndoro said.

In reaction to the matter, children’s rights groups have expressed their disappointment in the blacklisted teachers, and have urged authorities to punish them severely, to serve as a deterrent to other teachers.

One activist wrote on social media, “the punishment does not fit the crime. These pedophiles should be charged and tried in a court of law, TSC has the oversight role to play but this is a criminal act. I wonder who thinks blacklisting them in a corrupt society like Kenya would keep them away from harming the children”.

Another also wrote, “Parliament should come up with a legislation that will make it MANDATORY to publicly name and shame all convicted sexual offenders. The government should also, through relevant departments, open a website and list all of the convicted sexual offenders. Those convicted should also be tracked, like it happens in the US, to prevent them from repeating the offence. In the US, for example, convicted sexual offenders are kept under vigil and cannot be allow to get within a certain distance of institutions like children’s schools, playground etc. This will deter some of the would-be sex pests”.

Sexual harassment of students is common in many African nations and other places. We hope that law enforcement agencies elsewhere will emulate what the Kenyans have done to bring sanity to schools.  Students have the right to study freely and should be protected.

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