KUPPET threatens KCSE boycott after body of missing Kakamega principal is found in a river
By Aloys Michael, November 9, 2025The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has threatened to disrupt the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in Kakamega County if the government fails to take action after the body of a missing secondary school principal was retrieved from a river.
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In a press briefing on Sunday, November 9, 2025, KUPPET Chairman Kakamega County Johnston Wabuti noted that the union will pull all principals in the region from KCSE exam centres until those responsible for the murder of the principal are captured.
“Teachers’ lives matter because we are sure if this were another big person in the government, there could have been arrests that have been made already, but because it is a teacher, this entire process is taking very long,” Wabuti said.
“The principal was fondly dumped in a river, and the body was badly mutilated. We are very sad, and if there is no report to explain to us who did this, we shall be forced to disrupt exams in this region.”
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The Munyuki Secondary School Principal, who had been missing for some days, was found dumped in the Kipkaren River on Saturday, November 8, 2025.
According to reports, the death of the teacher was staged as an accident, but it is suspected that the principal was tortured and killed before being dumped in the river.
Call for justice
On his part, the Kakamega Deputy Governor, Ayub Savula, security agencies should ensure that any individuals responsible for the death of the teacher are arrested, regardless of their status.
“The teacher was killed and dumped into the river. We want to know what really happened and if anyone is found responsible, whether he is a politician or another senior person, he should be arrested immediately,” Savula said.
The union has blamed the government for not taking the matter seriously because he is just a teacher and not other officials, saying that security agencies should ensure quick and thorough investigations to also ensure that such incidents don’t recur.
The incident comes a month after another teacher, from the Garissa Teachers College, was killed, which prompted boda boda operators and teachers in the town to protest on Monday, October 13, 2025.