Fate of 25,000 promoted teachers to be known on Tuesday

The fate of 25,252 teachers whose promotions were recently blocked by Parliament will be addressed on Tuesday when the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) meets with the National Assembly’s Education Committee.

These teachers have not received their promotions since the TSC announced the successful candidates on April 2, 2025, following protests from education stakeholders and the committee’s rejection of the promotions due to perceived unfairness. The committee has summoned the TSC to clarify the criteria used for promotions and the resulting outcomes.

In a previous meeting on April 14, 2025, committee members criticized the TSC for its unclear promotion criteria and for not adhering to principles of fairness. They claimed that the promotions favored certain regions while neglecting deserving candidates in others.

As a result, the MPs made several recommendations for the TSC to follow before proceeding with the promotions. The impacted teachers have yet to receive increased salaries based on their promotions. On Tuesday, all TSC commissioners and CEO Nancy Macharia are expected to present to the committee regarding the implementation of the recommendations.

The MPs’ resolutions could lead to some teachers being removed from the promotions list while others may be added. Among the recommendations is a review of any promotions granted within six months of a previous promotion.

Additionally, the MPs suggested that the TSC prioritize promotions for teachers who have served more than seven years in the same job group and are within three years of retirement.

The Education Committee, chaired by Julius Melly (MP Tinderet), also recommended that teachers promoted in one year should not be eligible for promotion the following year. This means that teachers promoted last year and this year will have their promotions reassessed.

The TSC is also expected to report on how it has ensured a fair distribution of promotions across all regions.

This issue arose after protests from the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA), which argued that the TSC allocated promotion slots equally without considering the population and staffing differences among regions.

Ms. Macharia has previously asserted that the promotions were conducted fairly and transparently. At the Kenya National Schools Principals Forum in Mombasa last month, she expressed hope for an amicable resolution to allow deserving teachers to enjoy their new roles.

“Even before we announced the interview results, your own Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association and trade unions were protesting the promotion criteria,” Ms. Macharia stated.

“Year after year, many of you have earned deserved promotions and reached the highest levels of principal status, thanks to your dedication to your work,” she added.

During the TSC’s appearance before the Education Committee on April 14, 2025, they presented data showing that Machakos County had the highest number of promotions (690), while Garissa County had the lowest (303).

A committee member revealed that after the meeting, the committee’s leadership and the TSC held an informal discussion where Ms. Macharia was questioned about why she allegedly misadvised the commission.

However, the CEO insisted that her recommendations regarding the promotions were overlooked by the TSC board, resulting in the current situation. An analysis of the data presented indicated that promotions were distributed with slight differences across counties, regardless of the size or number of applicants.

The promotions cover nine different grades, from C2 to D5. The largest number of promotions occurred in 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. Although fewer in number, the higher executive levels saw 799 teachers promoted to D2, 128 to D4, and 47 to D5.