Allies of President Ruto Found Dishing Out TSC Employment Letters

Allies of President Ruto Found Dishing Out TSC Employment Letters

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has criticized President William Ruto and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) regarding teacher recruitment.

On April 19, KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu urged the President and TSC to ensure fairness in the hiring process, following reports that Ruto’s allies were distributing TSC employment letters.

Oyuu expressed KNUT’s concerns about the teacher recruitment process and the issues surrounding it.

He pointed out that the TSC is an independent body legally tasked with hiring teachers.

“The Teachers Service Commission has, to some extent, neglected its responsibility and function of teacher employment,” he stated.

“Never before in TSC’s history have we witnessed such occurrences. TSC must be prepared to operate within its designated role, which in this case is teacher recruitment.”

Oyuu acknowledged the President’s executive powers and his potential influence in hiring teachers.

He expressed gratitude to Ruto for his involvement but emphasized the need for a fair recruitment process.

Oyuu criticized the manner in which some politicians are distributing TSC employment letters.

“We cannot oppose the President’s executive authority to hire teachers. We appreciate his efforts,” he said.

“However, the way these letters are distributed by certain politicians raises significant concerns. Assistance through TSC is welcome, but it must be conducted fairly and ethically.”

He also suggested that TSC should prioritize hiring teachers who graduated earlier over those who recently completed their studies.

He stressed the importance of considering age in the recruitment process.

“The practice of selecting a teacher who graduated in 2023 while overlooking one who finished teacher training in 2010 raises many questions,” he remarked.

“As a union, we must clearly state that fairness is essential in employment, especially for teachers over 50 years old; they still need job opportunities.”

This statement follows TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia’s report to the National Assembly Education Committee that over 178,000 teachers remain stagnant in their job groups.

Macharia attributed this issue to a Ksh35 billion funding shortfall, with only Ksh2 billion allocated over two financial years to tackle the backlog.

“Insufficient budgetary provisions have severely hindered teachers’ career advancement. This stagnation has led to complaints from unions, decreased morale, and increased turnover in the profession,” Macharia explained.

She also refuted claims of favoritism in teacher recruitment and promotion.

Macharia stated that TSC employs a digitized application system and follows Regulation 73 of the Code of Regulations for Teachers (CORT), using data analytics to ensure fair distribution of promotion opportunities.

“The process is guided by transparency, performance, merit, and affirmative action, especially in marginalised and hard-to-staff areas,” she said.