Teacher transferred amid harassment, victimisation claims

Bett Nkirote, a teacher in Nakuru, is in distress due to the alleged harassment and victimisation from the school she has been teaching for the past two years.

Only four years into her profession, Nkirote said, she has allegedly suffered and endured all sorts of insults from the school head teacher at Moi Comprehensive, Nakuru.

Since January 17, 2024, when she transferred to the school, she claimed the institution's head teacher, Caroline Chebbe, had subjected her to victimisation.

The issues, she claimed, had escalated to the point of reporting the incident to the County Teachers Service Commission (TSC), and the matter was resolved at some point.

On Friday, she received a letter from the school regarding disciplinary action and a transfer, which she questioned.

“When I was transferred to Moi Comprehensive school on January 17, 2024, the head teacher refused to admit me as per TSC directives. She treated me badly, wanting to know who brought me to the school,” she alleged

The Grade Six class teacher claimed that Chebbe had questioned her transfer to the school, accusing her of using influence.

She stated that she had been treated unfairly from the beginning, something she tried to handle, but things got out of hand.

She would later receive cold treatment from the teachers in the school, sidelining her from any activities.

She allegedly reported the case to the  TSC Director, who tried to solve the issues.

“At some point in July last year, we made peace, but things changed in February this year following the death of a Grade Eight pupil at the school,” she added.

She claims she was accused of posting defamatory remarks against the headteacher on social media platforms.

She was told to respond to the letter within seven working days.

On March 5, 2026, she received a transfer letter to Nakuru North, effective on March 9. By the TSC director, Geoffrey Chemos.

The incident has forced a section of parents to write to TSC headquarters in Nairobi to intervene, accusing the school of handling the incident unprofessionally.

The parents insisted that the conflict was negatively affecting the learning environment and academic progress of the learners.

The parents claimed that the teacher and parents have endured in silence the stubborn, dictatorial, and unprofessional conduct from the school administration.

Our efforts to get comments from the school teacher were in vain, as she directed us to the director of TSC.

"If you want anything to go to the media, the TSC director must know, seek permission from TSC, for us, we are not allowed to do that," she said.

The TSC director, Chemos, who spoke to the Standard via phone, said that the transfer was normal, just like any other teacher on transfer.

"It's a normal transfer, within the county. It's a lie, she wasn't sidelined in any way, she was a class teacher, so she wasn't sidelined, there was conflict, regarding defamation, the school she was transferred to is within Nakuru," he added.

Initially, there was an incident, and the director insisted that the transfer was a change of environment.

"We found out a defamation case against the head teacher on social media, and parents, so there is no victimisation, it's a change of environment, why is KNUT not involved?" Chemos said.