Thanks Bwana Nyakundi for highlighting Nyali School predicament to the public. The board (BOM) of Mombasa Parents (Nyali School) have been very uncomfortable with your social media highlights and once the treasurer of the club Mr. Wangamati branded you a “gun for hire” in one of the parents WhatsApp platform (attached). This followed your highlighted article – Who will help the looted Nyali School, Mombasa? It is understood that the looters (board of management and the principal Mr. Kombo) were so furious with each other for leaking key information to parents who then share the same to bloggers like yourself. Most sensitive information like operating on overdrafts was only known to the board as it was done without following due process as required by the club constitution.
That aside and since then, many things have transpired but key has been the current Corona Virus Pandemic which has not only disrupted academic environment but has now opened up the financial woes that have hit Nyali School caused by financial mismanagement. The Board of Management and the principal NEVER expected such an occurrence and this has caused severe headache to the board and the principal. The school financial position is in INTENSIVE CARE UNIT.
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The school has been running on overdrafts since November 2019 (despite denial by the board of mgmt.), the school bank accounts have been depleted to almost nothing. The two school buses were bought at inflated figures of KSH 13.8M from a bank loan that is currently being serviced and several suppliers have not been paid since last year after supplying goods to both Nyali and Paramount (school operated by the ‘wife’ of the principal, Mr. John Kombo) of course, under Nyali account. The board and the principal expected that by second term this year, the school fees payable by parents would have normalized the situation.
God is Great! Corona Virus hit the world and schools have closed indefinitely. Initially the board thought that this was a short term problem but as it went on, the board realized that they will soon get exposed as the problem was not to end soon. At first, all students were issued with photocopiers of past exam papers in what the school described as “Homework” to keep the kids busy. However, when the pandemic was seen not to end soon, the school hurriedly organized the Virtual Learning Education (VLE) without consulting parents. Many parents were caught off-guard and had to rush to buy for their kids gadgets like tablets/laptops/phones to make them enroll in VLE. A significant number were however, unable to purchase the gadgets and automatically found their kids barred from the online classes.
The classes went ON and hardly a week later, Nyali parents got the shock of their lives when they received a brief from the chairman of the Club DEMANDING parents to pay 2nd term Tuition fees in FULL (attached brief). The parents were even threatened that failure to pay the school fees by 18th May 2020, their kids will be discontinued from the online classes.
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In the prevailing conditions, many parents who had kids on the online classes saw this as an insult and revolted against the decision by the board. The parents could not understand how fees for 2nd term could be paid when the schools were officially closed as per the Ministry of Education guidelines. Again, the online classes were done without the students using any amenities or facilities of the school. Worst, the teachers have been forced to take a 50% pay cut from April to May 2020 (except for the incumbent Principal who gets FULL salary) after which the board will decide whether to keep paying the teachers or not depending on the conditions (attached).
Immediately, parents busted up and opened a WhatsApp group (Nyali Parents family) and within a day, it was to its full capacity and had to be converted to a Telegram. All the parents were furious and up in arms against the exploitation by the board. When board realized the heat is getting bigger, they quickly issued a second circular (hardly 24 hours from the Chairman brief) suspending online classes (attached) pending what they described a review of the VLE.
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In the parents telegram group, it was resolved that an Ad Hoc committee be formed and meet the board and address the arising matter and come up with an amicable solution (attached memo). The parents (as owners of the school) requested to be beefed with financial status to enable them agree on a small fee for the VLE (attached). This is where the board of management doesn’t want the parents to know. The mess is unimaginable.
However, the board of management never responded to the memo but instead released a 3rd circular making the VLE a voluntary option but with inflated charges per Month (not to be part of the fees). This again made parents shocked as to why the board is refusing to engage and make them understand the financial situation of the school and make the VLE accessible to all parents. The Ad Hoc commitee again wrote a reminder to the board and threatened with legal action if they fail to respond (attached).
At last, the board responded reminding them to use constitution of the club (something they did against the disgruntled parents before) but accepted to meet them when the principal comes from a bereavement in Kakamega. Many parents questioned why the principal was the reason for the delay of the meeting when knowingly he has a deputy. Again parents questioned how the principal managed to leave Mombasa when there was cessation of movement (going against MoH-Kenya guideline and risking to spread the Corona virus to other counties). Many parents saw this as a buying-time tactic and not adding up.
As of now, many parents are convinced that, the JUDICIARY is the only remaining way to get the school saved from the looting board of management and the Principal and STOP further exploitation to the parents. Before this, parents had even tried to report the AUDITOR OBIRIA & CO (who has been doing external financial Audits for the school for the last three years) to Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya – (ICPAK) in what they felt as the Auditors assisting the School management in giving false opinion on the school finances to parents. The parents are yet to receive official communication on the investigation as promised by ICPAK but have no confidence with Auditor OBIRIA & CO who were still tasked to undertake financial Audits of the Year 2019. Parents have also vowed to take legal action against OBIRIA & CO if ICPAK will not act on the complaint.
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The board of management and the principal are very much aware of the extent of the damage done on the books of finances of Nyali School for the last few years and the board celebrated too early when Corona Virus hit the country and made the highly awaited Annual General Meeting (AGM) postponed till further notice. The board expected a hot AGM like the Special General Meeting (SGM) done last year. The board also knows that failure by the parents to pay the amount demanded will drag the school to the trenches and on the verge of collapse. Many suppliers are demanding to be paid and the School loan/overdrafts are making the board members have sleepless nights. It is also understood that suppliers have threatened to go to court to seek for their payments and also spill the beans on the kickbacks they have been offering to the Principal and some board members, if they don’t get paid soon. It is very clear that total mess is looming in Nyali School as parents’ refuse to be exploited.
To make matters worse, already a section of parents is working with lawyers to see how quickly they will run to the corridors of justice to have the school saved from board members and the Principal Mr. Kombo who have been fleecing the school resources on daylight and exploiting the parents who entrusted them with running of the school. The board of management has failed the parents and has worked hand-in-hand with the Principal in fleecing School resources….
MAPAMBANO ITENDELEA HADI UWIZI UISHE NYALI SCHOOL
Mombasa Parents Club Members
