More than 25,000 tutors have not received their official promotion letters from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) months after being listed among the successful candidates.
Despite being named in the reviewed list of promoted teachers, many are yet to get communication from their employer, a delay they say has dampened morale.
The teachers who spoke to the Nation said they were told to be patient when they sought answers from the TSC.
Lydiah* is one such teacher who was elated to see her name on the final promotion list, moving her up to headteacher position (C5).
“I was overjoyed when my name appeared in the reviewed list, but now I am in the dark and lack answers for family, colleagues and friends who had congratulated me,” she said.
Similar sentiments were made by Grace*, who was promoted to C4. She said lack of communication has made matters worse and has diminished her morale.
“Some colleagues say they got letters, while others say they haven’t. We really don’t know what is happening,” she said, adding that if the issue is lack of vacancies, the commission should send teachers the letters as they wait to be deployed.
Brian* has become disillusioned, especially after visiting the TSC County Director’s office at Nyayo House three times and being told to wait.
“So I should wait for the letter until when?” he asked, adding that he waited seven years for his promotion from C3 (Senior teacher) to C4.
It is the same case with Juliet* after she was promoted to C5, having been a deputy head for eight years without an office.
The Teachers Service Commission Acting CEO Eveleen Mitei.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Groip
“The long wait is frustrating. A senior teacher should ideally have an office instead of sharing the staffroom with junior staff, she told the Nation, adding that some colleagues in Kakamega County already have their letters.
The confusion follows a contentious promotion marked by Parliamentary intervention and public outcry.
It emerged in January that at least 189,000 teachers applied for 25,000 available promotion slots at the commission.
In March, the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (Kessha) petitioned the TSC, saying the promotion criteria were discriminatory and unfair to long-serving educators.
On April 2, the commission released a list of 25,252 promoted teachers, just a day before appearing before a parliamentary committee.
Two weeks later, the National Assembly Committee on Education rejected the promotion list, branding it biased, scandalous and fraudulent.
Senators followed suit on April 28, raising concerns that teachers with less than three years in their roles had been promoted, flouting the TSC guidelines.
The commission later admitted that it relaxed the three-year rule to attract candidates for specific roles, including deputy headteachers (Grade C4) and principals (Grade D3).
Still, the explanation failed to appease the National Assembly and Senate, leading to a drawn-out stalemate.
The National Assembly committee tasked the TSC to provide evidence of actual teacher shortages in the pool of those eligible for promotions to justify its decision to relax the three-year rule as stipulated in the Career Progression Guidelines.
On May 29, after sustained pressure and a directive from Parliament, the TSC released a revised list of 23,000 teachers, setting them for higher job grades and enhanced salaries.
Contacted yesterday, a senior TSC official insisted the promotion letters were dispatched while maintaining that no official complaints have been lodged concerning delays in receiving communication.
“Promotion letters were sent out. If there are issues, let the teachers file them through the right channels,” the official said.
Kenya National Union of Teachers Nairobi Branch Secretary, Macharia Mugwe, told the Nation that at least 200 tutors have lodged complaints on not getting letters.
“Let these teachers receive their letters and salaries be adjusted, even as they await the new responsibilities. How can one lodge an official complaint about a letter they haven’t received in the first place?” Mr Mugwe asked.
