Unions uproar over TSC jobs scandal

Mr Wetang’ula’s remarks have revived claims of political favouritism in the employment of teachers by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), which is an independent constitutional commission. They have also invited fresh scrutiny at a time the commission has advertised 20,000 permanent and pensionable teaching vacancies for junior schools.

Mr Wetang’ula at the weekend said some MPs accompany him to State House where they receive TSC appointment letters for their constituents but regretted that the politicians subsequently sell the slots.

Read: Inside TSC jobs scandal as hiring cartel exposed

“There are some MPs whom I take to the president, and they are given as many as 10 teachers’ employment letters. Yet, you later hear that they have been selling those letters. If someone is struggling, for instance if you are a night nurse, as that mother said, and you are asked to pay Sh400,000 to secure a teacher’s employment letter for your child, where will you get that kind of money? That is immoral, and we cannot accept such leadership,” Mr Wetang’ula said.

It’s not the first time that reports are emerging of government-friendly politicians being gifted TSC teacher appointment letters.

Last year, Murang’a Woman Representative Betty Maina claimed that government-aligned MPs were given the employment letters to distribute to their constituents.

“We were called to State House, and I will say it openly. We were given letters for the employment of teachers. I went with 11 MPs from Kiambu, and each was given 20 letters, totalling 220 letters,” Ms Maina said then.

During a debate in the Senate on July 3, 2024, shortly after the Gen Z protests, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna told the House that jobless young people were also angry with political patronage in public service employment.

“When it comes to employment in public service, we have seen young people who qualify as teachers waiting all their lives to be employed, then you see leaders in public rallies and funerals, handing and dishing out employment letters from the TSC,” Mr Sifuna said.

Yesterday, the unions condemned the practice, saying it undermines meritocracy and denies deserving Kenyans opportunities in a country struggling with high unemployment among trained teachers.

Kuppet Deputy Secretary-General Moses Nthurima termed the disclosure “very unfortunate”, warning that the practice undermines the independence of the commission and denies qualified teachers a fair chance of securing employment.

“Wetang’ula is a lawyer and knows the status of the commission under our Constitution. When he says that MPs are getting letters from the TSC to dish out, sell or distribute them to their cronies and relatives, I think that is very unfortunate,” Mr Nthurima said.

Read: ‘I took a loan to pay Sh400,000 for a job’: TSC begins probe into Bomet teacher employment scam

“The TSC has a recruitment policy. Those who graduated earlier and get higher marks in the interviews are supposed to have an advantage over those who graduated later. But if appointment letters are being given to politicians to distribute to their cronies and relatives, then what happens to those teachers who have followed the proper process? These people do not respect the independence of the commission,” he added.

The unionist said the Constitution created independent commissions specifically to shield them from such interference, allowing them to execute their mandates without direction from the Executive or political actors.

“Merit is one of the values in our Constitution. When we take our children through interviews, which is how we bring the best out of them. But if this continues, it will be very unfortunate for Kenyans because it will reach a point where, if you do not know an MP, then you cannot be employed as a teacher,” Mr Nthurima said.

“TSC cannot be directed by the Executive. If they subject themselves to politicians, then they have surrendered their authority to manage TSC,” he added.

Kethawa National Secretary Ndung’u Wangenye said the disclosure confirms long-standing concerns of political interference in recruitment.

“We have been saying that MPs are interfering and trying to influence the employment of teachers, but now this is a confirmation from the Speaker of the National Assembly,” said Mr Wangenye, adding that the revelation should trigger a serious examination of TSC’s independence.

“Where does that leave our teachers who are not employed? What about those who have no connections to the MPs? You have teachers who have gone through the proper process, sat for interviews and met the requirements, but they are left out because they do not have political connections. That is not fair,” he added.

Read: TSC advertises 20,000 permanent junior school teaching jobs

“We condemn, as a union, any action of trying to employ teachers outside the TSC. We, as a union, do not support that. We want teachers to be employed through the TSC because that is the commission mandated to recruit and employ teachers,” said Kuppet National Chairman Omboko Milemba.

He added that such interference was unfair to thousands of unemployed teachers who compete for limited vacancies.

Knut Deputy Secretary-General Hesbon Otieno said the claims of political patronage in the hiring of teachers could no longer be ignored.

“It is even more serious considering that this is coming from one of the country’s highest constitutional offices and is touching on the very highest office,” he said.

He added that political interference could partly explain why some qualified teachers repeatedly miss out on employment despite applying several times and meeting the requirements.

“There are people who have applied not once, not twice, not five times, even 10 times, and they deserve to get the opportunity, but they are not getting it. Then you have other people getting the chance through connections,” Mr Otieno said.

However, TSC defended its recruitment process, with acting CEO Evaleen Mitei saying the exercise is conducted in a fair and competitive manner as required by the Constitution and the law.

While responding to questions in the Senate, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the ministry would work with TSC to address the selling of employment letters, which he described as a criminal activity. He said greater transparency in recruitment data would help eliminate gaps in the process and promote fairness and equity.

Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.

[email protected]