TSC Confirms Promotion List Will Stand, Appointment Letters to Be Issued

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced that it will not revoke the teacher promotion list released last month, which followed interviews conducted in January and February of this year.

Senior officials from the TSC have stated that the promotion list will remain unchanged, even as both the Parliament and Senate intensify their investigations into the recent promotions.

These officials indicated that the teachers who were promoted will begin receiving their appointment letters this week.

Concerns regarding the transparency and fairness of the promotion process were raised by Members of Parliament (MPs), some of whom accused the TSC of bias after it was revealed that certain teachers promoted last year appeared again on this year’s list.

Last week, the Senate initiated a thorough investigation in response to widespread allegations of unfair promotions among teachers.

During a debate, the Senate Education Committee, led by Senator Betty Montet, accused the TSC of corruption and demanded a detailed explanation for the selection of 25,252 teachers for promotion nationwide.

Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka questioned whether the TSC had adhered to principles of merit, fairness, and inclusivity. He stated, “The Education Committee must investigate and report to this House why long-serving teachers with higher qualifications and experience were overlooked while younger teachers with less experience were promoted, and if so, what the justification for this was.”

Onyonka also urged the commission to clarify its distribution model, particularly questioning why densely populated counties with more teachers received disproportionately fewer promotions.

The Senate’s demand for answers comes amid growing dissatisfaction among MPs, who previously expressed concerns that the promotion process appeared biased, favoring certain regions over others. Senators are now echoing these frustrations and calling for a comprehensive investigation.

Nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri did not hold back, accusing some TSC officials of soliciting bribes from teachers seeking promotions. “In the recent exercise, we have teachers who have served for over 17 years but were not promoted, while others with just one year of service were. How can that be justified?” Okenyuri asked.

She went on to label the TSC leadership as “corrupt to the core” and called for a complete overhaul to restore integrity within the commission.

Senators also demanded clarification from the TSC regarding whether there is an appeal process for dissatisfied teachers and requested information on the number of complaints filed and resolved. They emphasized that handling these grievances transparently is essential for rebuilding trust among teachers.

The committee is expected to summon TSC officials to explain how the promotion process was conducted and what measures are being taken to address the ongoing issue of career stagnation.

The widespread dissatisfaction among lawmakers indicates a significant crisis of confidence in the TSC’s management.

However, when TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia appeared before the National Assembly’s Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC), chaired by Hon. Eric Karemba (Runyenjes), she stated that the Commission is unable to promote a sufficient number of teachers due to inadequate funding.

Macharia was presenting a report on the Commission’s progress in fulfilling its constitutional mandate and the challenges hindering effective service delivery.

She warned of a looming education crisis due to insufficient budgetary allocations for the promotion and deployment of teachers across the country.

Dr. Macharia noted that while the government currently allocates Ksh 1 billion annually for teacher promotions, this amount is inadequate to meet the growing number of eligible teachers.

“Honourable Members, while we appreciate the Ksh 1 billion allocated for teacher promotions, it is only enough to promote 6,000 teachers out of a teaching force of over 500,000. This continues to demoralize deserving teachers and affects service delivery in our schools,” Dr. Macharia stated.

She emphasized that the TSC requires Ksh 5 billion annually to effectively promote teachers and prevent stagnation.

In response to lawmakers’ concerns about promotion challenges, Macharia explained that the Commission has been receiving Ksh 1 billion each year for promotions, which she described as merely a drop in the ocean.

“With only Ksh 1 billion, we can promote just 6,000 teachers. We need Ksh 5 billion annually to fully address stagnation,” she reiterated.

In 2024, the TSC promoted a total of 19,943 teachers after being allocated Ksh 1 billion in the 2023-2024 financial budget. This year, the TSC listed 25,252 teachers who were successfully promoted after attending interviews in January and February.

The teachers will receive their appointment letters before being assigned to schools with vacancies.

MPs continued to press the issue of equity in promotions and the unclear criteria used, with reports indicating that some constituencies received as few as five promotions.

“We had only five teachers promoted out of 25,000. If divided equally across the 290 constituencies, we should have received at least 80,” argued Tiaty MP William Kamket.

Despite the scrutiny, the Commission stated that it continues to operate within its constraints and remains committed to improving teacher welfare across the country.

The TSC attributed the promotion bottleneck and staffing imbalances to inadequate funding and called on Parliament to revise policies to allow for more sustainable planning.