MP rescued from secondary school teachers who wanted to lynch him

Emuhaya MP and KUPPET chair Omboko Milemba. Milemba was being frog matched from a sports field at Tom Mboya University in Homa Bay town on June 25, 2023.[James Omoro, Standard]

The National Chairman of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Omboko Milemba has been rescued from secondary school teachers who wanted to lynch him.

Milemba had attended a secondary school teachers’ sports tournament at Tom Mboya University in Homa Bay town on Sunday evening when the incident happened.

The KUPPET Chairman, who was in company of the union Secretary General Akelo Misori, arrived at Tom Mboya University in a jovial mood and was welcomed warmly by the teachers who seemed thrilled by the tournament.

About four minutes later, the master of ceremony welcomed Milemba to issue his opening remarks which were to pave the way for the final football match that was eagerly awaited.

Milemba, who is also the MP for Emuhaya Constituency, took the microphone and began addressing teachers.

But trouble began when he said, “I am Omboko Milemba who voted Yes for the Finance Bill.”

Upon hearing the statement, a group of teachers started booing him.

But Milemba continued by explaining the significance of the Finance Bill 2023 to the development in the country.

His explanation elicited strong heckling, forcing him to stop the topic.

The more Milemba continued standing at the podium, the more the teachers became rowdy.

He unsuccessfully tried to apply his eloquence in a local dialect Dholuo to appease the teachers.

“Asewinjou maber. Koro kweuru mondo arwak Migosi Akelo Misori mondo obi uwuo kodu. (I have heard you very well. Can you be calm so that I welcome Mr Misori to address you),” Milemba said.

But his words fell on deaf ears as the teachers began accusing him of betraying them by supporting the Finance Bill 2023. The teachers said the Bill is making life unbearable for them.

Milemba held the microphone for two more minutes to use all sorts of words to silence the teachers but his efforts bore no fruits.

He eventually handed over the microphone to KUPPET Chairman in Homa Bay County Jack Okoth to talk to the teachers as he went back to his seat.

Okoth tried to persuade the teachers to be silent so that they could resume the games. But the teacher declined to listen to him. Instead, they told him that they could not proceed with the games unless Milemba quit that place.

The trouble went for more than 15 minutes before Misori took the microphone to admonish the teachers of their unbecoming behaviour.

But the teachers still became more unruly as a number of them were insulting Milemba.

Milemba decided to walk out of the tent where he was seated in order to go to his vehicle and leave the place.

On his way, the teachers threw various objects at him. Some of the teachers had picked stones with which they wanted to him.

It forced one of his bodyguards to cock two pistols at the teachers to restrain them from throwing the stones.

He was eventually driven out of the place unceremoniously.

Misori and Yogo condemned the incident.

Misori argued that it was wrong for the teachers to be intolerant with Milemba.

“What the teachers have done is uncalled for. Finance Bill is going to make life difficult and everybody is aggrieved but it is not something personal for teachers. It is wrong for the teachers to vent their anger against the chairman,” Misori said.

He argued that the teachers had shown a very bad picture considering the fact that they are the ones charged with the role of moulding children’s behaviours.

“If teachers are the ones behaving in this manner, how are parents going to entrust them with their children? There is nothing that warrants the violence,” Misori said.

Yogo, who organised the tournament, told teachers to avoid being driven by emotions.

“Let teachers avoid being emotional to prevent an ugly incident of this nature in future,” Yogo said.