Members of the Education Committee have called on the TSC to provide a policy document detailing its promotion process in order to evaluate its fairness. During a meeting with the TSC’s acting CEO, Ibrahim Mumin, and other senior officials, lawmakers expressed concern that many teachers have not been promoted and continue to earn entry-level salaries.
The MPs pointed out instances where teachers, who initially received a C plain in their Form Four exams, have since improved their qualifications but still earn P1 teacher salaries, even while teaching at universities. They accused the TSC of prioritizing promotions for newly hired teachers, often at the expense of experienced educators.
Committee member Melly was direct in his criticism: “What’s your justification for these promotions? We have staff who have been in the same position for 10 or 20 years, while a new hire quickly advances. It seems your organization is in chaos. How can a student taught by these C-plain teachers now surpass them?” He further insisted, “We demand a policy statement on how teacher promotions are managed. Teachers are struggling, and we lack clarity on the situation.”
Melly also questioned the rationale behind a P1 teacher with a PhD receiving the same salary as before despite their advanced degree. “Explain how promotions are determined, including the salaries involved,” he stated. “These teachers returned to school, so why is a PhD holder still earning a P1 salary?”
Mumin, along with the TSC’s Director of Staffing, Antonina Lentoijoni, committed to providing the policy document within two months. They clarified that promotions only started two years ago when the TSC received approximately Ksh 1 billion for this purpose, which is why many teachers had previously remained in the same positions.
In 2023, the National Treasury allocated Ksh 2 billion to promote 13,713 staff members, including principals, deputy principals, senior masters, secondary teachers, head teachers, and deputy head teachers in both secondary and primary schools.
Mumin assured the committee: “We will prepare a policy paper on teacher progression and present it to you.” Lentoijoni added that promotions consider not only age but also years of stagnation, classroom performance, and contributions to extracurricular activities. “For a long time, we struggled to secure promotion funds,” she noted. “It’s only in the last two years, with Ksh 1 billion, that we’ve been able to make progress. Prior to that, promotions were simply not happening.”
She explained further: “When we evaluate promotions, we consider various factors. An older teacher may have an advantage over a newcomer, for example. We also take into account how long someone has been in a particular grade, among other criteria.”
