KNUT warns of poor exam results in Nairobi over teacher transfers
This latest standoff follows KNUT’s warning to the new TSC leadership against political interference in teachers’ employment and promotions.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has raised alarm over the transfer of teachers from Nairobi, saying the move could undermine students’ performance in the upcoming national examinations.
According to Nairobi branch chairperson Nyamai Kasina, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has issued delocalisation letters to long-serving teachers in the city, reassigning some of them to counties such as Kitui.
Kasina argued that the transfers were not only unfair but also harmful to learners preparing for national tests.
“Some have already received the delocalisation letters, and some have been left with three months. We knew the delocalisation of teachers was over, but it seems to have come back to Nairobi,” Kasina told reporters on Wednesday, August 3.
The KNUT official insisted that the government had abolished the delocalisation policy, yet teachers in Nairobi continue to be subjected to the transfers.
He warned that the disruption of teachers who have built long-standing relationships with learners could compromise the quality of education and weaken exam results in the county.
Supporting his remarks, the union’s branch Secretary General Macharia Mugo demanded that TSC cancel the letters and instead prioritise the promotion of teachers who have served in Nairobi for many years.
“We demand that TSC immediately revoke the punitive letters and adhere to our government policy on delocalisation. The only concern is that instead of giving these teachers promotional letters, they put a condition,” Mugo said.
The Nairobi union leaders argued that the TSC’s actions were demoralising teachers at a time when the focus should be on strengthening the education system in the capital.
This latest standoff follows KNUT’s warning to the new TSC leadership against political interference in teachers’ employment and promotions.
On Tuesday, September 3, the national chairperson of the union, Malel Lang’at, accused politicians of meddling in recruitment, claiming that they were even collecting employment letters from TSC offices and distributing them during public events.
“As a union, we are saying that teachers should be given priority and a chance to be employed without any bias that has been in place due to politics,” Lang’at said.
Lang’at further called on the new TSC Chief Executive Officer, Evaleen Mitei, to safeguard integrity in teacher management and ensure that deserving graduates and teachers are employed without external interference.
