There is hope for teachers in Nyatike and Chepalungu as two separate petitions by two legislators on gazzetement of Nyatike and Chepalungu as hardship areas are submitted to the National Assembly’s Public Petitions Committee.
The two MPs, Nyatike’s Tom Mboya Odege and Chepalungu’s Victor Koech Kipngetich, have petitioned the committee to have Nyatike West, Nyatike North, and Nyatike South sub-counties, as well as Chepalungu Constituency, to be gazetted as hardship areas.
Odege informed the members that Nyatike Constituency, which is one of the largest and most densely populated in Migori County, was witnessing a migration of skilled workers, especially teachers, from the area and should be gazzetted as a hardship area.
According to the legislator, there are only 435 teachers serving in 61 secondary schools in the constituency, resulting in an average of only 6 teachers per school.
The MP attributed the flight of teachers to the deplorable working conditions in the area.
He said the ratio of pupils to teachers is extremely low as many teachers have opted to resign due to the hardships in the area.
“The children of Nyatike are being denied what can be considered a basic right; many teachers have resigned, even those who have not yet resigned are considering doing so,” stated Odege.
Among issues that the legislator saw as qualifying Nyatike as an hardship region include harsh climatic conditions, poor road networks, pollution of arable land by old abandoned mines, lack of health facilities, unclean water, and even a lack of network, making the area undesirable for employment.
Kipng’etich cited similar hardships. He noted that the geographic orientation of Chepalungu, along with the black cotton soil in the area, were the main contributors to the hardships faced by the residents.
During rainy days, roads, toilet facilities, classrooms and other infrastructure are swept away by floods.
The MPs urged the committee, which is led by Sessional Chair Ernest Kagesi, to treat the two petitions with the seriousness that they deserve.
They noted that the gazettement will offer relief, stop the loss of civil servants, and improve learning in the area.
By Obegi Malack
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