Senators investigate allegations that new recruits benefited from 25,000 teacher promotions.
Senators have joined National Assembly Members in advocating for inquiries into purported flawed promotions by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), with lawmakers labeling the State agency as “headquarters of corruption” and demanding a cleanse of its leadership.
The legislators are seeking clarification from the TSC regarding the reasoning behind the distribution model utilized in promoting the 25,252 teachers, especially concerning counties that are densely populated yet receive fewer promotions.
This development arises amidst widespread outrage from various sectors regarding the promotions, with MPs accusing the State agency of employing non-transparent promotion criteria and neglecting to uphold principles of equity.
MPs contended that the promotions disproportionately benefited certain regions while omitting deserving candidates from other areas, straying from previous practices and disregarding population dynamics. Senators now seem to be echoing the sentiments of their National Assembly counterparts, urging investigations into the promotions.
Sounding the alarm, Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka stated that the TSC should be under pressure to demonstrate whether the criteria used for selecting teachers for promotion across different counties adhered to the principles of merit, equity, and inclusivity.
Lawmakers are requesting the TSC to clarify if there was a grievance redress and appeal mechanism established for teachers who felt wronged by this promotion process, in addition to the number of complaints the TSC has received and how many have been resolved to date.
“The Education committee must investigate and report to this House why long-serving teachers with higher academic qualifications and graduates were either overlooked while younger teachers with lesser qualifications and less experience were promoted during the process, and if so, the justification for this,” Mr. Onyonka remarked.
The committee, which is chaired by nominated Senator Betty Montet, will also be tasked with demanding that the TSC elucidate the measures it is implementing to enhance transparency and accountability to address the persistent issues of career stagnation among teachers. Nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri characterized the State agency as “the headquarters of corruption. ”
She accused some unscrupulous officials at the TSC of soliciting bribes from teachers who are already in a dire situation in order to secure promotions.
“In the recently concluded exercise, there are teachers who have been in service for over 17 years but were not promoted,” Ms. Okenyuri stated.
“Conversely, there are teachers who have served for only one year and were promoted. How can that be justified? I will quote a trade unionist named Benjamin Burombo, who said, ‘when I am fighting for African rights, the other hand is busy keeping away Africans who are fighting me,'” she added.
The lawmaker called for a complete overhaul of the agency’s leadership, asserting that the teachers’ employer is corrupt to the core.
“I call out TSC and state that some of their officers have indeed overstayed in their positions. My concern is that the culture remains the same, so reshuffling them might not be effective. That culture extends from the national level down to the ground,” remarked the senator.
“I understand that corruption will always push back, but we will not back down on this matter. This is because teachers deserve support and fair compensation to remain motivated in providing their services to Kenyans,” she continued.
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei supported Ms. Okenyuri’s views, concurring that the TSC is “the hub of corruption and they must be held accountable. ”
“There was also considerable political favoritism (during the promotions). It is reported that TSC has delegated its recruitment duties to other entities, including politicians, and they must be held accountable. ”
Certain teachers’ unions have expressed concerns regarding the promotions, alleging that some teachers with just six months of experience were promoted, contrary to the policy that mandates a minimum of three years for eligibility.
Principals are also uncomfortable with the process, contending that a quota system implemented by the TSC to promote teachers has disadvantaged regions with a greater number of qualified educators.
Despite the outrage surrounding the promotions, TSC chief executive officer Nancy Macharia has asserted that the process adhered to the law and was decentralised to guarantee regional representation.