No white smoke as TSC is yet to release Promotions Letters: Reasons for delay

TSC Promotion Letters yet to be issued: Reasons for delay

When will TSC release Promotions letters? This is the big question for Thousands of teachers who were promoted in April and are yet to receive their appointment letters from the Teachers Service Commission, TSC. This is despite the Commission’s release of the promotion list on April, 2.

The delay has been attributed to the criticism on the criteria used to promote the teachers. The eminent exit of the current Chief Executive Officer Dr Nancy Macharia has also slowed down the release of the letters. This is according to a top TSC official who is familiar with operations at the Commission’s headquarters in Nairobi. The Commission has also finalized its report as requested by the Parliamentary Committee on Education.

The source further adds that the letters will be dispatched this month.

TSC stays firm on promotions list

This comes even as the TSC rules out revoking the promotion list, despite strong opposition from Members of Parliament and Teachers’ Unions.

The Teachers’ employer insists that it will not revoke the teacher promotion list it released in April following interviews done in January and February this year.

Top TSC officials have revealed that nothing will change despite both houses, Parliament and Senate, intensifying probe on the recent promotions.

The officials had earlier said that teachers whose names appeared on the list would start receiving their appointment letters early this month.

The Members of Parliament (MPs) had raised concern regarding the transparency and fairness of the promotion process.

A section of the Law Makers accused TSC of biasness after it emerged that some teachers who were promoted last year appeared again in this year’s promotion list.

The Senate has also joined the TSC condemnation by launching a comprehensive investigation due to widespread allegations of unfair teacher promotions.

In a debate, early this month, the Senate Education Committee, chaired by Senator Betty Montet, accused the commission of corruption and demanded a detailed explanation regarding the selection of 25,252 teachers for promotion nationwide.

Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka questioned whether the TSC had adhered to merit, fairness, and inclusivity principles.

He said, “The Education Committee must inquire and report to this House why long-serving teachers with higher academic qualifications and experienced graduates were either overlooked while younger teachers with fewer qualifications and less experience were promoted, and if so, what the justification for this was.”

Onyonka, at the same time, wanted the commission to clearly explain the distribution criteria used, particularly questioning why densely populated counties with more teachers received disproportionately fewer promotions.

The Senate’s demand for answers came amid growing dissatisfaction among MPs, who previously complained that the promotion exercise appeared biased, favoring certain regions over others.

Senators are now voicing similar frustrations and pushing for a thorough investigation.

Nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri did not hold back, accusing some TSC officials of soliciting bribes from teachers seeking career advancement.

“In the just-concluded exercise, we have teachers who have been in service for over 17 years but were not promoted. On the other hand, we have teachers who have served for just one year and were promoted. How can that be explained?” Okenyuri asked.

Okenyuri had no kind words for the Commission as she went on to describe the TSC leadership as “corrupt to the core” and called for a complete overhaul to restore integrity within the commission.

Senators also demanded that the TSC clarify whether an appeal mechanism exists for aggrieved teachers and disclose the number of complaints lodged and resolved.

They emphasized that handling these grievances transparently is crucial for restoring trust among teachers.

The committee is expected to summon TSC officials and demand explanations regarding how the promotion exercise was conducted and the measures being taken to address the ongoing issue of career stagnation.

The widespread dissatisfaction among lawmakers indicates a significant crisis of confidence in the TSC’s management.

However when TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia appeared before the National Assembly Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC) chaired by Hon. Eric Karemba (Runyenjes), said the Commission is unable to promote sufficient number of teachers due to inadequate funding.

She was presenting a report on the Commission’s progress in fulfilling its constitutional mandate and the challenges hindering effective service deliver

Macharia warned of a looming education crisis occasioned by inadequate budgetary allocation for the promotion and deployment of teachers across the country.

Dr. Macharia noted that although the government currently allocates sh.1 billion annually for teacher promotions, the amount is insufficient to cater to the growing number of eligible teachers.

“Honourable Members, while we are grateful for the Kshs.1 billion allocated towards teacher promotions, the amount is only sufficient to promote 6,000 teachers out of a teaching force of over 500,000. This continues to demoralize deserving teachers and affect service delivery in our schools,” Dr. Macharia stated.

Macharia said TSC needs sh5 billion annually to promote teachers and effectively avoid stagnation

She was responding after the lawmakers raised concerns on teacher promotion challenges.

The Commission has been receiving a budget of sh 1 billion each year for promoting teachers which Macharia termed as a drop in the ocean.

“With only one billion shillings, we can promote just 6,000 teachers. We need five billion annually to fully address stagnation,” said Macharia.

In 2024 TSC promoted a total of 19,943 after it was allocated sh 1 billion in 2023 – 2024 financial budget.

This year TSC listed 25,252 teachers who were successfully promoted after attending interviews in January and February.

The teachers will be issued with appointment letters before being posted to schools with vacancies.

MPs pressed further on the issue of equity in promotions and the unclear criteria used with reports of some constituencies receiving as few as five promotions.

“We had only five teachers promoted out of 25,000. If divided equally across the 290 constituencies, we should have gotten at least 80,” argued Tiaty MP William Kamket.

Despite the grilling, the Commission said it continues to work within its constraints and remains committed to improving teacher welfare across the country.

The TSC says the promotion bottleneck, staffing imbalance stem from inadequate funding and called on Parliament to review policies to allow for more sustainable planning.

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