Kuppet demands probe of mystery teachers' death in Taita Taveta

A union has expressed concern about the rising cases of teachers' deaths. Local officials of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers asked police to investigate what they termed as "mysterious" deaths in the county.

Branch Secretary Shedrack Mutungi yesterday said at least five teachers, among them two primary school teachers, had died in the past two weeks. They include Apollo Nyaswanga (Voi Boys Secondary), and Beatrice Anyango and Walter Juma, both from Bura Girls, which also lost a board member. Mr Mutungi said a teacher from Munda Secondary had lost an 11-month-old baby. He attributed some of the deaths to stress.

 "Teachers are ailing because they are forced to work under difficult conditions by the Teachers Service Commission, which is pushing them to the wall through its dictatorial tendencies,” said Mutungi. But the county education boss, Simon Mwangi, dismissed the claims as baseless and retrogressive. “One cannot die because of too much work. The union should look for other reasons,” he said. Area OCPD Monica Kimani said the deaths were being investigated.