The resolution regarding the status of 25,252 educators whose promotions were recently rejected by Parliament is set to occur on Tuesday, during a meeting between the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the Education Committee of the National Assembly.
These educators have not yet benefited from their promotions since the TSC announced the successful candidates on April 2, 2025, following protests from educational stakeholders and subsequent rejection by the committee, which cited issues of fairness. The committee has summoned the TSC to elucidate the criteria employed for promotions and the outcomes thereof.
In a prior meeting on April 14, 2025, committee members criticized the TSC for utilizing a non-transparent promotion process and for failing to adhere to principles of equity. They contended that the promotions disproportionately favored certain regions while neglecting deserving candidates from others.
Consequently, the Members of Parliament (MPs) proposed several recommendations for the TSC to implement prior to the execution of the promotions. The affected teachers have yet to receive the enhanced salaries associated with their promotions. On Tuesday, all commissioners and the TSC Chief Executive Officer, Nancy Macharia, are expected to appear before the committee to present the status of the resolutions’ implementation.
The MPs’ resolutions may result in the exclusion of some teachers from the promotions list while allowing the inclusion of others who were previously overlooked. Among the recommendations is a review of any promotions granted within six months of a prior promotion.
Additionally, the committee advised that the TSC prioritize promotions for teachers who have served for over seven years in the same job group and are within three years of retirement. The committee, chaired by Julius Melly (MP for Tinderet), also recommended that teachers promoted in one year should not be eligible for promotion in the subsequent year, implying that those who received promotions last year and again this year will have their cases re-evaluated.
Furthermore, the TSC is expected to report to the committee on how it has ensured proportional distribution of promotions across all regions to promote equity.
This issue arose following protests from the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA), which argued that the TSC employed an equal allocation of promotion slots without regard for population size and staffing disparities across regions.
Ms. Macharia has previously asserted that the promotions were conducted in a fair and transparent manner. During the Kenya National Schools Principals Forum in Mombasa last month, she expressed hope for an amicable resolution to allow deserving teachers to commence their new roles.
“Even prior to the announcement of the interview results, your own Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association and trade unions were vocally protesting the promotion criteria,” stated Ms. Macharia.
“Year after year, many of you have rightfully earned promotions and ascended to the highest levels of principalship, primarily because the majority of you approach your work with seriousness,” remarked the TSC CEO.
When the TSC appeared before the Education Committee on April 14, 2025, it provided data indicating that Machakos County had the highest number of promotions (690), while Garissa County had the lowest (303).
A committee member disclosed that following the meeting, the committee’s leadership and the TSC engaged in an informal discussion where Ms. Macharia was questioned regarding her alleged misadvice to the commission. However, she maintained that her recommendations regarding the promotions were disregarded by the TSC board, resulting in the current stalemate. An analysis of the data presented revealed that promotions were distributed with minor variations across counties, irrespective of the size or number of applicants in each region.
The promotions encompass nine distinct grades, ranging from C2 to D5. The majority of promotions occurred within grades C4 and C5, with 8,508 and 5,425 teachers promoted, respectively. This was followed by 4,971 promotions to grade C3, 2,519 to D1, 1,445 to C2, and 1,410 to D3. At the higher executive levels, although fewer in number, 799 teachers were promoted to D2, 128 to D4, and 47 to D5.
