MWALIMU ANDREW: My plan to win over Bensouda takes root

Last week I told you I wasn’t worried about the Bensouda-Kuya new found friendship that has changed the political map of Mwisho wa Lami Primary School.

I wasn’t worried because Kuya is one difficult person, and has never been friends with anyone for a long time. I didn’t expect this to last more than one week. Well, I have bad news for you. The two are still very together, and seem to be getting closer, not apart. But I am working hard to separate them.

What I dislike about their affair is that Kuya just wants to be seen to be close to Bensouda. Period. Despite the two spending most of the time in Bensouda’s office “meeting, strategising” and whatever else they could be doing, I still carry the heavy load of work in this school. And without me, this school would grind to a halt. Literally.

Yet every step of the way, Kuya is criticising any suggestion I come up with, but he hasn’t come up with any. Take the school timetable, for example. While all teachers started following the timetable I drafted at the beginning of the term, Kuya had other ideas.

“Dre, you will need to reduce my lessons per week,” he told me on Friday. I asked him why, reminding him that I had given him lessons that were within TSC thresholds. He said that given his new additional responsibilities, his lessons had to be reduced so that other things “zisiharibike”.

“Aliye na macho haambiwi tazama,” he answered me when I asked him to clarify what these extra duties were — as I could not see any. He reminded me over the weekend but I did not respond. It was not an urgent matter. I was still dilly-dallying when I received an SMS from Bensouda on Monday evening. “Dre, I’m sure Kuya asked you to review that timetable. Please implement the changes immediately. Those are instructions from me,” I did not need a calculator to know that the ground had shifted. I adjusted the timetable.

Although I increased several teachers’ classes by one, I increased Nzomo’s by five. Nzomo just returned to work after maternity leave and was not amused to see herself with more classes.

“Although I was given more classes than I deserve, I accepted without any complaint,” she started as we took tea on Tuesday, the morning I pinned the new timetable on the staffroom noticeboard. “Now people think I am a pushover and I see I have been added more lessons, why?”

This made other teachers probe the timetable. Madam Ruth, Mr Atka and Erick found that they had been added a lesson each.

“Now that a few of us have received more lessons, it means that one of us had their lessons reduced,” said Madam Ruth. “Who is that we deal with him right now?”

“Sisi hatuogopi hata kama ni Bensouda,” said Nzomo. “We will deal with her mundu khumundu,”

“It’s not Bensouda, she still has the two classes she had,” said Erick, who had just arrived that week. He had spent the last two weeks, as usual, at TSC offices looking for a transfer.

“Or is it Dre, the Deputy?” asked Sella. Erick checked and agreed that my lessons had gone up by one.

“So who is this?” Madam Ruth asked as she got out her phone. She had taken a photo of the previous timetable.

“Yes,” said Nzomo. “Toa Form 16A tu-confirm. This is 2019 mwaka wa kuambiana ukweli.”

“Ok, I see who has had their lessons reduced by six in a week. A whole six lessons off,” said Madam Ruth.

“Tell us we deal with him now,” said an excited Nzomo. “I will hand over mine immediately.”

“It is Kuya,” said Madam Ruth. All along Kuya had been seated quietly, pretending to be busy with books. Nzomo, who had been saying how she would immediately hand over the lessons to whoever had had their lessons reduced, changed tune.

“Oh Kuya,” she started, struggling with what to say. “I am sure there is a good reason why they have been reduced; if we are told why, we will not have a big problem taking the extra classes.”

For those who do not know, Kuya is the father of Nzomo’s daughter, and they stay together. By assigning most of Kuya’s classes to Nzomo, my plan was to create friction between the two, and with other teachers. “You will notice my classes have also gone up,” I said. “Kuya is better placed to explain why his lessons have gone down.”

It was long past tea break and we had not realised this. “I will explain this but can we please go to class and teach,” said Kuya. “I will explain everything at lunch time.” All teachers, with the exception of Nzomo, booed him. The staffroom was getting chaotic.

Bensouda walked in amid the chaos.

“What is the issue?” she asked.

“Madam HM, we need an explanation on why our lessons have been increased and Kuya’s reduced,” said Mrs Atika. “It is quite unfair.”

Bensouda directed that the old timetable be reinstated. “Any changes to the timetable will come from me,” she said amid celebrations. She asked Kuya and I to see her in her office.

“I am surprised that the two of you can’t manage teachers,” she said angrily. “You have one week to sort this timetable mess.” She then dismissed us.

This was a win for me as I knew teachers could never accept changes to the timetable, and Bensouda is always keen to have teachers on her side. It’s just a matter of time before Bensouda drops Kuya like a hot potato.