Now aged 49, Mr. John Mark Mukudi is a P1 teacher who has tirelessly taught in Bunyala South zone, Bunyala sub-county, Budalangi constituency, a place known as the worst hardship area of Busia County.
Since 1996, Mr. Mukudi has worked in the flood-prone area, having been posted at Budala primary school straight from Asumbi Teachers Training College.
Currently, 26 years down the line, he stands out as the longest-serving teacher in the Bunyala South zone posted there from outside Bunyala South.
Profile
Mr. Mukudi underwent a two-year teacher training course at Asumbi TTC from 1994 to 1996. He was posted to Budala primary school in 1996.
His sound organizational and academic zeal saw the school begin to excel academically in 1997 KCPE results under Mr. James Asava. In 1998, he was moved to Bulwani primary school, which was almost grounding to a halt.
He taught in the school for two consecutive years before transferring to Mubwayo primary school in 2000. He was again transferred to Musoma Anglican Church primary school under the headship of the late Mr. Paul Muoya.
Here, Mr. Mukudi did exploits between 2001 and 2010. Through his efforts and those of colleague teachers, the school was ranked top in Bunyala South zone and among the top schools in Bunyala sub-county for several years.
He taught English and Christian Religious Education (CRE) in most of the classes, including class eight, during this period.
He ranked among the top teachers in the subjects in Budalangi and Busia County. He was also a long-serving standard eight class teacher in Musoma Primary due to his excellent planning and organizational skills.
Mr. Mukudi was promoted to a senior teacher position, which he held from 2003 to 2010, before transferring to Runyu primary school in 2011.
“This position did not come those days with current salary being awarded to serious teachers, and one also lost the position on transfer then,” says Mr. Mukudi.
Upon arriving at Runyu primary school, he joined efforts with the former head teacher, the late Richard Sumba, to improve the school’s performance. Magnificent results in terms of performance and the overall organization of the school were witnessed.
In 2016, he was again transferred to his former school-Budala primary school. He is remembered for his inaugural speech during the first assembly to introduce him, where he stated categorically and briefly the basic requirement for any school to perform and what keeps all performing schools where they are.
These included discipline and hard work he would employ to inculcate in all and sundry.
At the school, he was immediately tasked by the current head teacher Mrs. Phanice Wanga to work on modalities to improve the KCPE score in English, which had never achieved a mean score of 50.1 ever since the school was established.
Without hesitating, Mr. Mukudi started strategizing. He handled composition in class six while another teacher taught the grammar part.
Surprisingly, the school hit a mean score of 55.4 that year and kept rising.
In 2018 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education class, the results were even better. This was made possible as a result of discipline and hard work, plus teamwork with other teachers who handled that class.
“My class topped the Bunyala sub-county with several 400 plus marks and a mean score of 327 in 2018 KCPE, something that never was. This record has never been broken and possibly would never, now that KCPE is coming to an end with the 2023 class,” explains Mr. Mukudi.
Involvement in KNEC exams
Mr. Mukudi has managed and run the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) national examination programs for over a decade.
He has zealously traversed the sub-county in both Bunyala North and South.
At one point in the KNEC exercise, he was sent across the violent Lake Victoria to deliver exams to the three island schools, namely Osieko, Maduwa and Bulwani primary schools, over 77 kilometers from Budalangi Exam depot through the Lake.
During these periods, Mr. Mukudi has worked as a supervisor and advised KNEC accordingly on matters preparing waterproof polythene bags and counting the return packages to KNEC, especially concerning schools in water and flood-prone areas.
“KNEC responded promptly and recommended the use of courier bags,” he recalls.
While at Musoma primary school, Mr. Mukudi produced three candidates for several years who joined national schools straight from the village.
The students, Joseph Hussein, who joined Lenana High, Caroline Anyango, who joined Alliance Girls, and Johnston Obayi Atek, having studied at Nairobi School, had topped in English. All of them are now prominent persons in and outside Kenya.
Extra-curricular activities
In collaboration with Mr. Kizito Musikhe, now deputy principal of Dibuoro Secondary School in Siaya County, Mr. Mukudi has been involved in many extra-curricular activities to foster holistic growth and development of learners in Bunyala sub-county.
The two initiated Kenya Students Christian Fellowship (KSCF) in schools in Bunyala and Siaya areas.
This was aimed at improving students’ morals in high schools and for several years, Mr. Mukudi ran this program going to every school in the sub-areas teaching on the values of Christian morals, discipline and hard work.
Schools like Nyambare Mixed secondary school and St Triza Mundere Girls secondary school improved tremendously, academically and morally, through such programs.
Makunda secondary school registered high performances, courtesy of his Guidance and Counseling programs and motivational talks.
His newly founded organization, Destiny Shapers and Framers International (DSAF), an insight, transformational and impact forum, is geared towards grooming the leadership skill of the young generations.
He trains student council leaders in High Schools across Busia and Siaya counties through the Ministry of Education.
The student leaders’ conference, held annually at the Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi since 2008, has seen Mr. Mukudi spearheading the training and selection of high school students in Bunyala, Butula, and Teso south sub-counties.
He has been the chief adjudicator in Busia county, who selects and trains all the student leaders from Busia county for national presentations on public speaking skills.
Mr. Mukudi’s passion
His passion for public speaking and motivational talks has seen him crisscrossing the county of Busia, imparting skills, and inculcating discipline and hard work as values needed for success.
His emphasis on discipline and hard work as values in life necessitated, as a country, to celebrate the youngest girl in 2021 Mashujaa Day last year.
The young girl who received the presidential award was Mr. Mukudi’s pupil in standards seven and eight, where he taught her English and CRE.
The young girl ferried her expectant mother in a boat by night to a dispensary about a kilometer away for delivery. She is now studying at St Cecilia Nangina Girls secondary school in Samia sub-county on scholarship after scoring 300 marks.
Academic Prowess
Mr. Mukudi holds a P1 Teacher Certificate from Asumbi Teachers Training [TTC] College from 1994 to 1996.
In 2003, he joined Goibei National Christian College to upgrade his training in CRE and Pre-Primary 1.
He scored an A and was awarded a direct entry to Africa Theological Seminary to study for a Degree in Biblical Studies and Theology, where he came out with a First Class.
In 2014, he joined Kampala International University for a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) but deferred the program due to financial challenges.
He was also supporting other family members to study and so decided to forfeit his.
Later, he joined the Kenya Institute of Management, Kisumu Branch, for a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management and finalized in 2012.
Later in 2013, he joined Busia College for another Diploma in Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE). It was a requirement by TSC for promotion; he had forwarded the other certificate, but TSC didn’t recognize the degree.
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In 2016, Mr. Mukudi forwarded all his credentials to the TSC for consideration for promotion to a higher cadre on deployment to no avail.
Despite all these academic merit awards and commitments that have seen the sub-county’s academic performance improving year in and year out, the teacher still holds a P1 grade position and has never been promoted.
In his opinion, the failure to be promoted, even after many years of toil for the academic quarters, has taken a heavy toll on him, turning both surprising and demoralizing. He says he is well-prepared for any higher task and position in the educational spaces.
Thank you so much Scholar Media Africa for covering my story. Blessings to you all. I have written three books that need to be published and I’m looking for a credible mentor.