Chief Principal Hellen Opondo now stands accused of leading a full-fledged corruption cartel inside Muthale Girls High School, as a uniform fee scandal explodes into a national outrage. What began as a suspicious overcharge where Form Three parents were hit with an inflated KSh 8,450 uniform replacement fee while others paid only KSh 4,650 has snowballed into a damning indictment of Principal Hellen Opondo’s leadership, with furious parents and education stakeholders calling for her immediate suspension and arrest.
Fresh allegations suggest Chief Principal Hellen Opondo is at the helm of a network siphoning millions from desperate parents. Sources within the school whisper about an entrenched racket handpicking uniform suppliers, inflating magazine and labeling costs, and locking out cheaper alternatives so the cartel can pocket the difference. Parents now want to know, why were they forced to buy new uniforms without prior notice? Who authorized this mandatory purchase? And why has the school refused to refund the extra KSh 2,500 charged per student?
The scandal has also opened new fronts of accountability. Parents are now demanding full disclosure on the number of bank accounts the school operates and their purposes. How many accounts does Muthale Girls have? Who are the signatories? And where exactly is parents’ hard-earned money going? Additionally, there is growing outrage over the lack of flexibility in uniform purchases, with parents demanding the freedom to source cheaper uniforms in the open market instead of being exploited by Hellen Opondo’s preferred vendors.
In pursuit of answers, our reporter visited the school to get a response. However, Chief Principal Hellen Opondo was not present at the time. Instead, a meeting was held with the Deputy Principal in charge of Administration and the Deputy Principal in charge of Academics. Unfortunately, both officials declined to speak, saying that only the principal was authorized to comment on the matter. Their refusal to engage only deepened suspicion a pattern consistent with Opondo’s evasiveness. Despite repeated phone calls, text messages, and formal letters, madam Opondo has remained completely silent. Her refusal to face the public, explain the mess, or even engage with media inquiries is now being seen as a calculated cover-up an attempt to shield herself and her accomplices as pressure mounts.
Parents are no longer mincing words they want the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to move in and dismantle what they now call “A LOOTING SYNDICATE IN UNIFORM.” They are demanding a forensic audit of all financial dealings under Chief Principal Opondo’s tenure and her immediate suspension to allow an independent investigation.
All this is unfolding as Muthale Girls prepares to celebrate 50 years since becoming a full girls’ boarding school in 1975, when boys were phased out. The school was double-streamed in 1997 and rose to national school status in 2011, admitting its first National class in 2012. But now, this once-revered institution risks marking its golden jubilee not with honor but with scandal and shame.
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