On Tuesday, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) faced scrutiny from Members of Parliament (MPs) regarding allegations of biased and opaque promotion practices. The legislators called for greater transparency concerning the recent allocation of 25,252 positions, citing concerns over inequity and political interference.
During an appearance before the National Assembly Committee on Education, TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia defended the promotion process, asserting that it was legally justified and decentralized to ensure regional representation.
She emphasized that the commission had made efforts to ensure that opportunities were accessible to all, with interviews conducted at the sub-county level to promote fairness and accessibility.
The promotions were granted earlier this year following the allocation of Sh1 billion by the National Treasury for this initiative.
Among those promoted were 5,690 teachers who applied for vacancies advertised in November, alongside 19,943 who responded to calls issued in December of the previous year.
Dr. Macharia noted that special consideration was extended to teachers in acting roles, those who had experienced prolonged stagnation within a single job group, and older educators. Additional evaluation criteria included Teacher Performance Appraisal scores and participation in co-curricular activities.
Nevertheless, MPs expressed skepticism regarding the integrity of the promotion process, alleging that some qualified teachers were overlooked while others received multiple promotions within a short timeframe.
Committee Chair Julius Melly questioned the rationale behind what appeared to be an equitable distribution of promotions across counties, suggesting that this approach diverged from historical practices and failed to account for population dynamics. He remarked, “How do you promote someone three times consecutively while others have remained in the same job group for over a decade?”
The committee instructed the commission to provide comprehensive data, including the number of applicants per sub-county, the promotion criteria employed, and the scoring metrics utilized.
Melly stated, “We are requesting that the chairman of the commission, Jamleck Muturi, furnish us with complete documentation regarding the application and evaluation process. We seek clarification on how fairness and merit were assessed.”
Kitutu Masaba MP Clive Gisairo further accused the commission of engaging in political maneuvering regarding the equitable distribution of teachers. He argued that the commission possesses the authority to promote deserving teachers and redistribute them across regions, asserting that the uniform allocation of teachers to all counties contradicts the principles of merit-based employment.
Julius Taitamu, the Igembe North legislator, questioned how teachers from less populous counties received the same number of promotion slots as those from more populous regions. Taitamu characterized the distribution as inequitable and not reflective of the principles of fair allocation and equity.
