The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has come under fire for promoting 25,252 teachers across Kenya, leading to discussions about whether these promotions were fair. Machakos County had the most promotions with 690, while Garissa had the least with only 303.

The way promotions were spread out among different counties and job levels has raised concerns about possible favoritism. Some lawmakers have questioned the fairness of the process in the national assembly. However, TSC insists that the promotions were fair, regardless of how many teachers applied from each county.

In the financial year 2024/2025, TSC reported that 5,291 teachers received promotions through common cadre promotions and special measures in all 47 counties. Counties like Isiolo, Lamu, and Mandera had many promotions, with 282, 280, and 270 teachers promoted, respectively. In contrast, counties like Kiambu, Nairobi, Murang’a, Elgeyo Marakwet, and Laikipia had fewer promotions.

Promotions were given from grade C2 to D5, with a lot at grade C4, where 8,508 teachers were promoted. Other significant promotions included 5,425 to C5 and 4,971 to C3, with fewer at higher levels.

TSC CEO Nancy Macharia defended the promotion process, saying they followed the rules, including Regulation 72 and career progression guidelines. However, MP Julius Melly, who leads the education committee, pointed out that some teachers received multiple promotions while others stayed in the same job group for years.

The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has also expressed concerns. Acting Deputy Secretary-General Moses Nthurima criticized the promotion criteria, saying it was unfair to many teachers, especially in crowded areas. He noted that some teachers were promoted after just six months, even though the requirement is usually three years.

The TSC has been asked to provide a detailed list by Thursday explaining how the promotions were decided. Meanwhile, the union is calling for more openness and discussion in the promotion process.

TSC advises School Principals against interdicting teachers who require assistance.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has encouraged school leaders to listen to teachers more attentively and help them resolve their issues, when feasible, instead of hastily seeking their interdiction.

During the closing event of the Migori County Conference of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) in Kisumu, Nyanza Regional TSC Director Japhat Kariuki called on the principals to approach the framing of charges for teacher interdictions more cautiously.

“We have been making an error by continuously blaming the teacher, particularly those who consume alcohol and other substances. It is a common belief that they have become alcoholics and cannot teach effectively. As the Principal, take the time to understand the teacher’s problem instead of hastily advocating for their interdiction,” said Kariuki.

He pointed out that teachers also face social difficulties such as family disputes and conflicts that can significantly impact their performance at school.

For instance, when a marriage falls apart, the affected teachers typically do not remain unchanged, he noted. Such educators require psycho-social support, and pushing for their interdiction only exacerbates the situation and is an inhumane act.

“When teachers encounter difficulties, rather than being judged, they should receive help to regain their stability,” he stated.

According to TSC Legal Officer Cavin Anyuor, it is the school leaders who initiate the interdiction of teachers.

“It is not the TSC that interdicts teachers. It is you (Principals) who formulate the issues and present them to the board of management,” remarked Anyuor.

In the same context, Anyuor encouraged the heads to ensure that only grave matters are considered as grounds for interdiction.

“As you exercise this authority, let us remain fair and procedural and avoid debating minor issues,” said Anyuor, citing the example of a head teacher who recently denied a Junior School teacher a plastic chair on the grounds that the teacher should sit under a tree.

As a sustainable method for managing teachers, the TSC Regional Director explained that school heads must educate themselves on Teacher Induction Mentorship and Coaching (TIMEC).

“The primary goal of TIMEC is to institutionalize support programs for teachers, encompassing induction, mentorship, and coaching within the teaching profession. TIMEC is based on the necessity to employ both preventive and remedial strategies in managing a teacher’s professional behavior and performance,” stated Kariuki.

The regional leader observed that many principals often fail to adequately induct new teachers, leading to confusion and disorientation among them.
“When a new teacher arrives, many of you typically invite the deputy to accompany them under false pretenses of being busy and heading off to a meeting. After you leave the school’s gate, the deputy then transfers the new teacher to the head of department… Ultimately they arrive at the staffroom, naturally absorb information, and end up confused,” noted Kariuki.

He stressed that school leaders have a duty to orient the new staff member with their professional responsibilities, applicable laws and regulations, as well as the processes and procedures within the teaching profession.

Inductions guarantee that educators cultivate emotional intelligence, foster a sustainable institutional culture, and enhance interpersonal relationships and skills, among other matters. Kariuki humorously mentioned that teachers whose pupils fall asleep during lessons should receive mentorship from someone more seasoned in best practices.

“Such an educator should be guided in effective classroom management techniques. How can you enter a classroom and proceed to teach as if nothing wrong is occurring when nearly all students are dozing off? ” questioned Kariuki.

School leaders and other experienced educators in the institution should also mentor less experienced staff on how to balance professional responsibilities with their personal lives, as many are increasingly facing family issues, he added.

Moreover, Kariuki urged the principals to formalize coaching programs to ensure that skills are refined to achieve quality results.

“Teachers who have been instructing but have never achieved an A should be coached to enhance their professional contributions,” he stated.

He continued by explaining that TIMEC relates more to comprehending human behavior, instructing individuals precisely what to do, and providing an environment for them to hone their skills.

A setback for 20,000 intern teachers looms as the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced that it does not have the funds required to transition them into permanent roles, citing a budget deficit of Sh3.5 billion.

During a session with the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Education, TSC Director of Finance Cheptumo Ayabei confirmed that the commission is unable to promote the intern teachers to permanent positions because of this financial shortfall.

“As we speak, that funding has not been provided, so these teachers will continue to serve for the next two years or otherwise advised. There’s provision to recruit these teachers, but we are going to recruit 20,000 teachers this year,” Ayabei said.

Ayabei emphasised that while the intention to regularise their employment still stands, the lack of funding means the teachers will remain in temporary roles for up to two additional years, depending on future financial allocations.

Additionally, a court ruling mandates that intern teachers be confirmed within one year of their appointment. However, given the current budgetary limitations, Ayabei said the commission’s best-case scenario for fulfilling this requirement is by December 2025, within the 2025/2026 financial year.

Baringo North MP Benjamin Makilap expressed concerns over the backlog of intern teachers yet to be absorbed into permanent roles, despite new recruitment plans for additional interns.

“When you were recruiting the teachers, was it one year or two years? Because you can’t bring before us a budget that you want to recruit new intern teachers, yet there’s a backlog,” Makilap said.

“I know there’s a court ruling, and the best we have now is a maximum of one year. We need to confirm the existing intern teachers by December, which is within the financial year 2025/2026.”

The legislators also raised concerns about the exclusion of trained teachers aged above 45, many of whom remain unemployed despite their qualifications.

Teso South MP Mary Emase called on the Commission to implement affirmative action for teachers over the age of 45, who are approaching retirement without having served in the public sector.

“I don’t know if there’s an affirmative action to recruit teachers who are over 45 years of age and haven’t been absorbed even as interns because these are teachers who have been trained and are already approaching retirement age and have not been employed,” Emase said.

The concern was echoed by Education Committee Chair Julius Melly, who criticised the apparent age bias in TSC’s recruitment policies, which he said place a significant socio-economic burden on older, unemployed teachers.

“We have a lot of an ageing teachers’ population who haven’t been recruited into the system, and many of them have family responsibilities. You can’t say that you will not recruit a teacher aged 45 years just because of his age. Any teacher can be recruited up to two years before retirement,” Melly said.

Luanda MP Dick Maungu suggested that the TSC should adopt a targeted recruitment strategy based on age to address the exclusion of older teachers.

“Why don’t you do a target recruitment based on age? If an individual is above 45 years, it will be easier, you will morph them up. These aged teachers are actually Kenyans, and they are perishing. We can actually set the minimum age of recruitment so that we conclusively deal with this matter,” Maungu said.

Makilap further urged the TSC to provide comprehensive data on all registered teachers to help quantify the scale of the problem and determine the resources needed for recruitment.

“The TSC should give us data of registered teachers with registration certificates by TSC so that we can quantify the numbers and know the amount of resources that will be required to recruit these teachers,” he said.

Ayabei reiterated that the conversion of intern teachers to permanent positions hinges entirely on the availability of funding.

“The conversion of teachers is all based on funding. If we get the funding, we will convert them into permanent and pensionable. We did engage National Treasury, and because of fiscal space and constraints, we were not given provision for conversion,” Ayabei said.

In the upcoming financial year, the TSC is also facing an additional funding shortfall of Sh5.71 billion, which could affect the implementation of a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and the provision of teachers’ medical insurance.

TSC Director for Legal, Labour and Industrial Action, Cavin Anyuor, revealed that the National Treasury has not committed to financing the new CBA that is set to begin in July 2025.

“The area which has not been funded is the CBA, although we are still negotiating the CBA. But we have written to the National Treasury to consider because the CBA that we have is ending on 30th June 2025, and a new one should commence on 1st July,” Anyuor said.

KNUT speaks out against unfairness and political interference in hiring teachers.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) is upset about politicians getting involved in hiring teachers.

KNUT’s Secretary General, Collins Oyuu, says that this political interference is keeping qualified teachers from getting jobs. He is worried that the group in charge of hiring teachers is not doing its job properly.

“Never before have we seen such issues with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). They need to do their job. The way some politicians are handing out job application forms is not right,” said Oyuu.

The union is asking the TSC to organize its hiring process and take charge as the law requires.

“The hiring situation is causing a lot of worry among KNUT members. The TSC is supposed to be independent and has the responsibility to hire teachers. It’s concerning that they are not doing this,” Oyuu explained.

Because of this interference, he believes the hiring process has become unfair, leaving many candidates feeling discouraged.

“It should be fair. How can a teacher who just graduated in 2023 get a job while someone who finished training in 2010 is ignored? This doesn’t make sense,” he said.

Oyuu also pointed out that many experienced teachers are still without jobs and should not be overlooked.

“Be compassionate. There are teachers over 50 years old who are still unemployed. They deserve jobs,” he urged.