Exposed: Jonathan Gloag CEO's Little-Known Decisions That Ignited Row With Parents

Oywera was trusted with the CEO job by JGA's owner, Dame Ann Gloag, a Scottish businesswoman, activist, and charity campaigner who is also the co-founder of the transport company Stagecoach Group.

Viral Tea Ke Writer Viral Tea Ke Writer
May 5, 2024 - 19:10 Updated: May 5, 2024 - 19:19
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Exposed: Jonathan Gloag CEO's Little-Known Decisions That Ignited Row With Parents
Parents stage protests at Jonathan Gloag Academy on April 2, 2024. /DAILY NATION

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jonathan Gloag Academy (JGA) who is being opposed by parents at the school was revealed to have been granted excessive powers and mismanaging affairs at the academic institution.

Speaking to Viral Tea on Sunday, May 5, one of the parents at the school who requested anonymity revealed that the CEO, Collins Oywera, was frustrating the welfare of teachers and imposing punitive measures for among other things, lateness.

Oywera was trusted with the CEO job by JGA's owner, Dame Ann Gloag, a Scottish businesswoman, activist, and charity campaigner who is also the co-founder of the transport company Stagecoach Group.

Collage of Jonathan Gloag Academy. /VICTOR MATARA

In one instance, Oywera was alleged to have frustrated teachers and fined them Ksh1,000 for lateness. Further, he was believed to have denied the teachers tea, a service which was taken off.

The parent further wondered to Viral Tea why the institution was refusing to serve tea to the teachers yet they pay Ksh80,500 in school fees per term.

With regards to the principal, William Mulema, Oywera had asked him to proceed on early retirement, a matter which sparked outrage amongst the parents who deemed the move unceremonious, leading to the protests.

“Where is he? We want to know him, who is this man seeking to tarnish the name of our school? Collins must go. No Mulema, no school. No Mulema, no school,” parents chanted outside the school compound on April 2, forcing the deployment of police officers to contain the situation.

In a letter dated March 28, Oywera revealed that Mulema was to retire by the end of the school term after serving for five years.

“While the announcement may come as a surprise to some, we accepted Mulema’s personal request to retire and embark upon a new chapter of his life and we wholeheartedly support him in his transition. We are grateful for his years of service and wish him the very best in his well-deserved retirement,” the letter read in part.

He informed parents that the school was seeking a new head teacher who would uphold the high standards of education that Mulema had inculcated.

Interestingly, it emerged that Mulema was not consulted about his retirement and that the decision reached by the CEO was allegedly personal.

After the protests, the JGA parents moved to file a petition challenging the legitimacy of the decision of the CEO of Kenya Children’s Homes UK, Oywera, to retire Mulema, saying it was done against the law.

Oywera has yet to respond to the parents' claims by the time of publishing this article.

The parents also filed a complaint letter to the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Education, Ezekiel Machogu, on April 11, 2024, highlighting the grievances raised in the petition and are waiting for a response or action from the Ministry.

Education CS, Ezekiel Machogu during a past address. /FILE

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