Okonkwo returns from school heads conference spitting fire

Okonkwo has returned from the principals’ conference breathing fire. On Monday morning, Madam Flo and Franco received memos. They were in red.

Madam Flo was ordered to return school property immediately. She moved out of the school house during the mid-term break. She has been accused of taking a gas cylinder and a coffee table - both properties of Meta Meta mixed day and boarding school.

“Failure to return the same will mean recovery via your employer,” the memo threatened in part. Franco, who teaches French, on the other hand was accused of inciting students against established school menu.

According to the memo seen by Schola, Franco, who was on duty the week before we broke for half term, is accused of fanning chaos in the dining hall.

On Thursday at lunchtime, some students had complained that there was paraffin in their ‘murram’ (githeri).

Jezebel called him so as to calm the students and assure them that the food was fit for human consumption. She served him a small portion.

He took a spoonful and immediately spat it out with disgust. When the students saw that, there was near pandemonium.

Most poured out their food while some, amidst screams, threw away their plates. The commotion beckoned Okonkwo and his deputy, Wa Makeri into the dining hall.

The students informed the principal that there was paraffin in their githeri.

“They want to castrate us!” piped a tiny Form Two boy. Out of curiosity, Okonkwo and Wa Makeri asked to be served. To the students’ horror, they cleared their plates and Okonkwo even asked for more.

His attempts to convince the students that there was nothing wrong with their food fell on deaf ears. He had to buy them milk and bread.

When Okonkwo and Wa Makeri summoned Franco and asked him whether he had tasted the students’ lunch, he simply said, “I don’t do ‘murram’” Okonkwo reminded him that he was supposed to not only taste but also eat the students’ meals while on duty; his response was that he was posted to Meta Meta to teach French and not as a connoisseur of students’ meals.

“Let the TSC scout for githeri-tasters from Utalii College. Not me,” he added. Okonkwo had then threatened to write him a warning letter. True to form, he made good his threat as soon as he returned from Wild waters resort.

Unlike other times, Okonkwo has not called for a staff meeting to ‘give’ teachers Madam Nzomo’s and Mrs Macharia’s greetings.

He has also not briefed us about the resolutions made during the conference. The crisis meeting he had promised to convene over the exodus of teachers from the school has also not materialised.

Instead, he has been firing memos from his office. Schola claims that he didn’t attend the conference and only went for the opening ceremony.

The rest of the days were spent on the sandy beaches, sunning himself and having fun.

Flo, under Aeneas’ guidance, has written a lengthy letter, explaining that she didn’t take the gas cylinder.

She has attached a copy of the receipt of a cylinder that she bought. Franco on the other hand is said to have forwarded the case to his lawyer. “You will hear from my lawyers,” he told the secretary.