For close to three years, Geoffrey Lelon’s classroom has been a series of protest camps and court corridors.
Interdicted, jobless and labelled a deserter by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), the Geography and History teacher has lived a life in limbo ever since he fled the terror-prone North Eastern region to save his own life.
Geoffrey Kipngeno Lelon, a teacher from Kericho County, during an interview on October 12, 2023 at his home in Tugunon on the border of Kipkelion East and Ainamoi constituencies in Kericho county
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group
But on December 4, 2025, the cage Mr Lelon described finally opened. In a landmark ruling at the Milimani Employment and Labour Relations Court, Justice Byram Ongaya ordered an immediate deployment of Mr Lelon to a safe workstation.
Since 2023, the teacher had been praying for a transfer to a safe workstation after fleeing from Duse Boys' Secondary School in Mandera County.
Justice Ongaya’s ruling was explicit. Recognising the history of the case and the physical risks involved, the court directed the TSC to end Mr Lelon's interdiction and move him away from the volatile borderlands.
“The Court considered the history of the case and the material on record including today's proceedings and direct TSC to deploy teacher Geoffrey Lelon from North Eastern region to any other school and effective forthwith so he resumes duty in a new station starting next school term,” the order stated as the Employment and Labour Relations Court directed TSC chief executive officer to implement the instructions.
The court further warned the TSC CEO of penal consequences should the commission fail to implement the instruction.
Mr Geoffrey Kipngeno Lelon and his wife Daisy during an interview on October 12, 2023 at their home in Tugunon on the border of Kipkelion East and Ainamoi constituencies in Kericho county.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group
Mr Lelon’s journey to this victory was paved with trauma. At first, he was excited to be posted to Duse Boys' Secondary School in Mandera East, only to quickly realise that teaching in the North Eastern required more than just academic expertise, as it required survival instincts.
He recalls a life lived on the edge where teachers were forced to spend nights on the verandas of police stations whenever intelligence reports suggested an impending Al-Shabaab raid.
More than 100 teachers fled
The teacher witnessed the mangled remains of vehicles destroyed by Improvised Electronic Devices (IEDs) and lived through the horror of July 14, 2023, when his colleague, Philemon Ngeno, was shot 14 times during an attack on Wargadut police station.
“Day in, day out, we go to sleep at night never knowing if we will make it alive the next morning. Not even the sense of security in the precincts of the police station is assuring enough as they are all prone to surprise attacks, leaving dead bodies of civilians and policemen in its wake,” said Mr Lelon in a past interview with the Daily Nation.
He said they had to pay Sh1,000 monthly to the Kenya Police Reservists to provide them with security in their respective areas.
When Mr Lelon and more than 100 other teachers fled the region in 2023, the TSC took a hardline stance.
Mr Geoffrey Kipngeno Lelon repairs a chicken coop at his home in Tugunon village, Kericho county on October 12, 2023.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group
Citing a lack of suitable replacements, the commission rejected their transfer requests and issued interdiction letters to 60 teachers, stopping their salaries and effectively leaving them destitute.
While the majority of the teachers eventually buckled under financial pressure and returned to their stations, Mr Lelon and his colleagues chose a legal battle over insecurity.
“It has been decided that you be posted to Lodwar Girls Secondary School in Turkana county to teach History/Geography with effect from January 5, 2025. You are expected to report to the new station within 14 days from the effective date for assignment of duties,” read his deployment letter dated January 2, 2026.
Some 11 teachers have already reported to new stations as deployed, while 26 others are still in negotiations. The court has ordered the TSC to take the lead role in resolving their return.
The state and education stakeholders have been pushing for local teacher recruitment to stabilise staffing levels for the North Eastern region. The parties are set to report progress on the remaining teachers in February 2026.
