KUPPET demands protection for teachers amid threats in Nyandarua

KUPPET demands protection for teachers in Nyandarua amid threats against non-local staff during Ol Kalou campaigns. [File, Standard]

The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has called for enhanced protection for teachers in Nyandarua amid threats targeting non-local staff.

In a statement, KUPPET Deputy Secretary General Moses Nthurima said the union had received reports of ethnic incitement in the county, where campaigns for the Ol Kalou by-election are ongoing.

According to Nthurima, the threats have prompted teachers from non-local ethnic groups to apply for transfers due to fears for their safety.

“The warnings are issued openly by politicians who care little about inter-ethnic harmony so long as their allies win political power. Teachers and other civil servants have found themselves in the crosshairs of a vicious campaign by candidates determined to win at all costs,” Nthurima said.

Echoing the remarks, KUPPET Chair Omboko Milemba said 61 teachers had requested transfers from the county.

The union has called on the police, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission to act swiftly and hold politicians accountable for hate speech before the situation escalates.