Con teacher flees from irate parent

By Michael Oriedo

Students at a school in Cheptais division, Mt Elgon District were left dumbfounded when they witnessed their teacher jump over a fence while fleeing from an irate parent.

The teacher threw caution to the wind a week ago as he escaped from the woman, who had come to demand her money back.

It is said that the woman, a widow, gave the teacher Sh4,800 in March to register her Form Four son for KCSE.

But the teacher betrayed her trust. He spent the money and failed to register the boy. The boy learned of his plight when he was denied an index number and consequently could not fill in exam registration forms.

He informed his mother of the turn of events. She came to the school and confronted the teacher who blandly accepted he had spent the money. He pledged to pay it back.

Hoping that he would keep his word, the widow kept visiting the school from April to plead with the teacher.

Still, he did not honour his promise. Every time she turned up at her office, he would give her plenty of excuses.

Hide and seek

She had come the previous week at the school only for the teacher to hide from her and remain away from school for a week. This incensed her and she swore to teach him a lesson.

On Tuesday she arrived at the school at about 10am and proceeded to the teacher’s office. Luckily, he was present.

A school employee ushered her into his office. Immediately the teacher saw her, he froze in his tracks.

An incoherent greeting slipped out of his mouth as he fumbled with papers on his desk. After a deafening silence, he told the woman to wait for him at a bench outside the office.

The woman obliged, giving him the benefit of doubt. However, while patiently seated on the bench, the teacher sneaked out of the office using a back door.

Students who were on their tea break saw him emerge from his office through the door. He then walked briskly as if going to the nearby ablutions block.

Without bothering whether students saw him or not, he jumped over the school fence and disappeared into a nearby village.

Over the fence

After waiting for about two and a half hours, the woman felt edgy. She checked at his office only to find it locked.

She enquired from a teacher who told her that his colleague was not in school. Mumbling some nasty words in her mother tongue, she stormed out of the building.

Outside, she met students who were privy to her predicament. They corroborated what the teacher had told her and said they had seen him jump over the fence.

They went further to show her the spot where her had escaped through.

Defeated, the woman put her hands on her head and began wailing cursing the teacher.

Later she left, promising to seek redress at Cheptais District Education Offices. Like bushfire, word spread in the school about the teacher’s deed. Some students spent their games time enacting how he had vaulted over the fence.