The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has decided not to change the list of teachers who were promoted last month after interviews held in January and February. TSC officials say that the promotion list will stay as it is, even though both the Parliament and Senate are looking into the promotions.
Teachers on the list are expected to receive their appointment letters this week. Some Members of Parliament (MPs) have raised concerns about how fair and transparent the promotion process was. They pointed out that some teachers who were promoted last year appeared on this year’s list again, which led to accusations of favoritism.
The Senate has also started a detailed investigation due to claims of unfair promotions. During discussions, the Senate Education Committee accused the TSC of corruption and asked for a clear explanation about how 25,252 teachers were selected for promotion across the country.
Senator Richard Onyonka questioned whether the TSC followed fair practices, especially since some long-serving teachers with better qualifications were not promoted, while younger teachers with less experience were. He also asked why more populated areas with more teachers received fewer promotions.
The Senate is pushing for answers as dissatisfaction among MPs grows, with some claiming the promotion process seemed biased towards certain regions. Senator Esther Okenyuri accused some TSC officials of asking for bribes from teachers wanting promotions. She highlighted that some teachers with over 17 years of service were not promoted, while others with only one year of experience were.
Okenyuri called for major changes in the TSC to restore integrity. Senators also want to know if there is a way for unhappy teachers to appeal and how many complaints have been made and resolved. They stressed the importance of handling these issues openly to rebuild trust among teachers.
The committee plans to call TSC officials to explain how the promotions were handled and what is being done about the stagnation of teachers’ careers. Many lawmakers are losing confidence in the TSC’s management.
When TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia spoke to the National Assembly, she said the Commission cannot promote enough teachers due to lack of funding. She explained that the government only allocates 1 billion shillings a year for promotions, which is not enough for the large number of eligible teachers.
Dr. Macharia mentioned that this amount can only promote 6,000 teachers out of over 500,000, which is discouraging for those who deserve promotions. She stated that TSC needs 5 billion shillings each year to properly promote teachers and prevent stagnation.
In 2024, TSC promoted 19,943 teachers after receiving 1 billion shillings in the budget. This year, they listed 25,252 teachers for promotion after interviews. These teachers will get their appointment letters before being assigned to schools with openings.
MPs continued to question the fairness of the promotions, noting that some areas received very few. For example, one constituency only had five promotions out of 25,000 teachers.
Despite the scrutiny, the TSC says it is working within its limitations and is committed to improving teacher welfare. They believe that the issues with promotions and staffing are due to insufficient funding and have called on Parliament to adjust policies for better planning.
