Why does the Watchers Council not seem to care how or why a slayer dies?

Question

When Buffy dies for two minutes in Season One of Buffy The Vampire Slayer the Watchers Council is made aware of it due to the rising of the new slayer Kendra. When Kendra comes to Sunnydale several months later, she is shocked to discover there is a second slayer. There are only two explanations for this:

1. The Council never bothered to pick up the phone and contact Giles (no reassignment, no condolences, no questions), or
2. The Council knew everything and was keeping Buffy, Giles, Kendra and her watcher in the dark.

Is the Council incompetent or malevolent?

Answer 1

I think you can attribute it to the secrecy of the Council. The thought could have been that nobody needed to know that there were 2 Slayers operating at the same time for possibly the first time in history.

The Council isn't exactly incompetent or malevolent, they simply don't care when a Slayer dies, since that is the inevitable outcome for all Slayers, and they can't afford to invest themselves with individuals. Slayers come and go, the Council remains.

Watchers aren't supposed to have feelings for their charges either, but it is human nature and difficult when you are basically raising them.

Answer 2

If your entire business model consists of emotionally blackmailing a teenage girl into thinking she is the singular savior an entire dimension, there's a pretty good chance you'd keep her in the dark should a replacement arise. I believe the Council neglected to mention it due to their (possibly correct) belief that Buffy would quit if she knew the burden was no longer hers.