A leadership dispute at Nkabune Technical Training Institute has escalated after protesters demanded the transfer of the principal and her deputy, only for another group of students and parents to emerge a day later in their defence, dismissing the demonstrations as politically motivated.
The standoff has exposed deep divisions within the institution, with one side accusing the administration of mismanagement and declining standards, while the other insists the college leadership should be allowed to continue implementing reforms.
Business owners, students and residents staged demonstrations demanding the immediate transfer of Principal Peninnah Ngina Musila and Deputy Principal Stephen Kinyua, accusing them of poor leadership that they said had led to declining student enrollment, poor academic performance and reduced business activity around the institution.
Led by North Imenti parliamentary aspirant Collins Murimi, the protesters claimed the institution’s shrinking student population had negatively affected traders who depend on the college community for their livelihoods.
“We are tired of the principal running the institution like her own house. Student numbers have dropped and business people can no longer earn a living,” Murimi said.
The protesters carried placards reading “Principal Peninnah Must Go”, “Deputy Principal Kinyua Must Go”, “The Community Cry, Listen to Us” and “Community Participation Matters.”
A letter submitted by residents and signed by community chairman Festus Ndunga and secretary Titus Mucheke listed several grievances against the administration.
The petition alleged that students lacked practical training materials across all departments, undermining skills acquisition, and claimed six trainers in the automotive engineering department had been dismissed under unclear circumstances, leaving the institution with inadequate teaching staff.
The residents also accused the administration of mistreating students in the Office Administration department and limiting internet access, saying the poor learning environment had forced some students to transfer to other institutions.
They demanded immediate intervention by the relevant authorities to address the concerns.
Imenti East Deputy County Commissioner Mbaya, whose office acknowledged the protest notice, assured demonstrators that their grievances would be forwarded to the appropriate authorities.
“The community has every right to protest against the leadership and governance of the principal and deputy principal. We have heard your concerns and the grievances are being handled,” Mbaya said.
However, a separate group of students and parents rejected the calls for the transfer of the principal, arguing that the protests did not represent the majority of stakeholders.
The group defended Musila’s leadership, saying she had initiated reforms aimed at improving service delivery, institutional management and student enrollment.
They accused unnamed politicians of attempting to interfere with the running of the institution and urged them to keep politics out of education.
Their placards read: “Leave Politics Out of Our School”, “Our Community Members, Please Don’t Be Used to Kill Our School”, “We Are in Support of Our School, Our Principal and Our Administration” and “We Have the Best Technical Training Around.”
The supporters maintained that the institution should remain focused on technical training and development rather than political disputes, saying stability was necessary to improve enrollment and learning outcomes.
Edited by John Majau
