The legislators want the TSC to explain the rationale behind the distribution model used in the promotion of the 25,252 teachers, particularly with regards to counties which are densely populated but receive fewer promotions.
The development comes hot on the heels of uproar from different quarters over the promotions, with MPs accusing the State agency of using opaque promotion criteria and failing to uphold principles of equity.
MPs argued that the promotions disproportionately favoured certain regions and left out deserving candidates in other areas, deviating from past practices and ignoring population dynamics.
Senators now appear to be reading from the same script as their counterparts in the National Assembly, calling for investigations into the promotions.
Raising the alarm, Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka said TSC should be hard-pressed to show if the criteria used in selecting teachers for promotion across different counties upheld the principles of merit, equity and inclusivity.
Lawmakers want TSC to shed light on whether a grievance redress and appeal mechanism was put in place for the teachers who felt aggrieved by this promotion process and how many complaints the TSC has received and how many they have resolved up to date.
“The Education committee must inquire and report to this House why long-serving teachers with higher academic qualifications and graduates were either bypassed while younger teachers with fewer qualifications and years of experience were promoted during the exercise and if so, the justification for the same,” said Mr Onyonka.
The committee, chaired by nominated Senator Betty Montet, will also be expected to task the TSC to explain measures it is implementing to promote transparency and accountability to address the long-standing cases of career stagnation of teachers.
The chairperson Teachers Service Commission Dr Jamleck Muturi (Left) Chief Executive Officer Dr Nancy Macharia and lawyer Calvin Anyuor before the National Assembly Committee on Education at the Bunge Tower Nairobi on April 15, 2025.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo| Nation Media Group
She claimed some rogue officials at TSC solicit bribes from teachers who are already in a deplorable state in order for them to get promoted.
“In the just concluded exercise, we have teachers who have been in the service for over 17 years, but were not promoted,” said Ms Okenyuri.
“On the other hand, we have teachers who have just served for one year and were promoted. How can one explain that? I will use the words of a trade unionist by the name of Benjamin Burombo. He said that “when I am fighting for African rights, the other hand is busy keeping away Africans who are fighting me,” she added.
The lawmaker called for an overhaul of the agency’s leadership, saying the teachers’ employer is corrupt to the core.
“I call out TSC and mention that some of their officers have actually overstayed in office. My worry is that the culture is the same such that reshuffling them might not help. That culture runs from the national to the ground,” said the senator.
“I know corruption will always fight back, but we will not relent on this issue. This is because teachers deserve support and good remuneration for them to have the motivation to keep offering their services to Kenyans,” she added.
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei corroborated Ms Okenyuri’s sentiments, agreeing that the TSC is “the headquarters of corruption and they should be called to order.”
“There was also a lot of political patronage (during the promotions). It is said that TSC has left its recruitment work to other agencies, including politicians and they must be called out.”
Some teachers’ unions have raised issues with the promotions, claiming that some teachers with only six months of service were promoted when the policy requires a minimum of three years for one to qualify for promotion.
Principals are also not at ease with the process, arguing that a quota system used by the TSC to promote teachers discriminated against regions with more qualified teachers.
Despite the fury over the promotions, TSC chief executive officer Nancy Macharia has maintained that the process followed the law and was decentralised to ensure regional representation.
