Tribalism in Kenyatta High School is no longer a whispered complaint. It is loud, toxic, and dangerous. In Mwatate, Taita Taveta County, locals have turned the leadership of a national school into an ethnic battleground.
The crime of the new principal is not incompetence or corruption. His real sin is his identity. Dominic Maingi comes from the neighboring Kamba community, not the local Taita community. That single fact has triggered hostility, protests, and political meddling that now threaten to cripple the school.
Tribalism in Kenyatta High School Is Playing Out in the Open
Tribalism in Kenyatta High School follows a familiar and destructive script. Local politics has poisoned reason. Community voices have rejected professionalism. Ethnic entitlement has replaced merit.
Principal Dominic Maingi transferred to the school last year through normal Ministry of Education processes. He did not force his way in. He did not lobby politicians. He simply reported to duty.
Soon after, resistance began. Locals branded him an outsider. Some leaders openly questioned how a Kamba could head a major school in Taita Taveta. The debate stopped being about performance. It became about bloodline.
Shockingly, a section of Members of Parliament who should preach national unity now back this backward campaign. They speak loudly about community rights but stay silent on national values. Their actions send a dangerous message that public institutions belong to tribes, not Kenyans.
Staff divisions have also emerged. A section of teachers has joined the chorus calling for Maingi’s removal. They frame their objections as administrative concerns, but the ethnic undertone remains impossible to ignore.
Allegations Used as Weapons to Push Out the Principal
Those baying for Maingi’s removal now list allegations to justify their position. They accuse him of irregularly engaging an individual identified as Juma as a handball coach.
They claim Juma supervises subordinate staff, raising questions about authority. They question why construction and painting works during the December holidays did not prioritize local skilled workers. They protest the expansion of the principal’s office during the same period.
They accuse Maingi of reorganising internal structures too fast. They allege he placed friendly faces in strategic positions. They fault him for keeping students in school during the December holiday without clear communication.
They also claim he restructured the academic department in ways that unsettled long-serving teachers. They speak of unclear portfolios, fear of transfers, and growing anxiety among staff.
Each issue deserves scrutiny. Each concern requires proper investigation. None justifies ethnic mobilisation.
Due process exists for a reason. School Boards, the Teachers Service Commission, and the Ministry of Education handle administrative disputes. Street pressure and tribal campaigns do not replace institutions.
Moi University Shows Where This Road Leads
Kenya has seen this movie before, and it ends badly. Moi University stands as a painful warning.
Local politicians and community leaders once rejected Professor Laban Ayiro as Vice Chancellor because he came from the Luo community. They painted him as an outsider and a threat. They demanded a Kalenjin at the helm.
Former Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago and Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi openly pushed for Prof Isaack Kosgey. Political pressure won. Ayiro left.
Today, Moi University lies in ruins. Academic standards have collapsed. Student unrest has become routine. The institution bleeds credibility, funding, and talent. Only a shell remains.
Ironically, Ayiro thrived after his ouster. He now serves as Vice Chancellor at Daystar University, where stability and growth followed him. Moi University lost a leader. Kenya lost a lesson it refuses to learn.
Political Meddling Is Poisoning Schools and Communities
Wundanyi MP Danson Mwashako has aggressively pushed for Maingi’s removal. His stance has emboldened ethnic hardliners. It has escalated tension within the school.
Voi MP Hamis Chome, widely viewed as a voice of reason, has remained silent despite requests for comment. Silence in moments like this becomes complicity.
Tribalism in Kenyatta High School hurts students first. Learners need stability, not ethnic wars. Teachers need clear leadership, not political pressure. Parents need results, not drama.
Public schools are national assets. They do not belong to counties, clans, or communities. When locals hijack them, decay follows.
Kenya’s Constitution rejects ethnic exclusion. Leadership in public institutions must rest on competence and integrity, not surnames and origin.
If Mwatate continues down this path, Kenyatta High School risks joining the growing list of institutions destroyed by tribal arrogance.
The choice is simple. Defend professionalism or embrace collapse. History has already shown the cost of choosing wrong.
