A teachable moment for the Ministry of Education

A little-known teacher from a little-known school in the remote reaches of Trans Mara is in trouble, apparently for making public what she has been doing privately- without a hint of lament - a 20-kilometre trek to deliver national exams for her 18 students.

But since Kenyans are adept at imagining the unimaginable, this valiant act by Magdalene Kimani has been interpreted as “insubordination” and “exaggeration” by Ministry of Education officials.

Insubordination because it’s the hapless teacher in the limelight, not her bosses; an “exaggeration” because the actual distance covered on rugged terrain, ministry officials say, is nine, not ten kilometres.

Wait a minute… that’s a pretty dumb contention, one might say, especially from a ministry that should know better, so one can only concede the Kenyan way: isorait. In fact, one shouldn’t be surprised if the ministry commissions a probe to verify other aspects of the contentious trek, including, how the said teacher walked breaking a sweat.

Yes, she looked doled up, smart and fresh in her floral dress and neat top. Perhaps that picture was...