MPs reject TSC’s list of 25,252 promoted teachers over bias

Members of Parliament have sharply criticized the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) over its list of 25,252 teachers promoted in recent months, accusing the body of failing to uphold equity and fairness in the process.

During a heated meeting with TSC officials, including CEO Nancy Macharia and Chairperson Jamleck Muturi, MPs pointed to several discrepancies, with many arguing that the promotion list was biased and unfairly distributed across different counties.

The MPs’ concerns centered around the distribution of promotions, with some counties reportedly receiving more promotions than others despite having fewer teachers.

The National Assembly’s Education Committee, chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly, expressed frustration over what it called an inequitable process.

"Equity is lacking in this entire document, and we can't proceed like this," Melly said, stressing that the promotions failed to meet the standards of fairness that the teachers and the nation deserved.

The committee has demanded that TSC provide additional documentation for transparency, including the full list of teachers who applied for promotions, their interview scores, and a breakdown of how long teachers have served in each sub-county.

"We cannot allow this commission to promote a person every year, promote teachers of an entire county leaving out the rest of the country," Melly emphasized, further questioning the integrity of the promotion process.

MPs across party lines voiced their concerns, with several expressing disbelief over the promotions.

Luanda MP Dick Maungu criticized the decision to promote the same teachers year after year, calling it a disservice to veteran educators.

"Teachers who got promoted last year are the same ones that have been promoted again this year," Maungu said, adding that the system was flawed and unfair.

Baringo North MP Joseph Makilap, echoing similar sentiments, asked for greater transparency.

"How was the principle of affirmative action applied in this promotion? We need to see the raw data from sub-county and county levels so that we can understand why certain teachers were promoted over others," Makilap stated.

The lack of clarity regarding how promotion decisions were made has left many MPs questioning the credibility of the TSC’s actions.

Igembe North MP Julius Taitumu called the promotion process "the most scandalous ever in the teaching profession," criticizing the TSC for disregarding fundamental principles of equity and fairness.

Moiben MP Phylis Bartoo added that the entire promotion process appeared biased.

"With all this uproar about these promotions, if TSC had a chance to do it again, would they come back with the same results? If not, the entire process is a scam," she said.

Unions representing teachers, including the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), have also rejected the list, arguing that it failed to address teacher population disparities between counties.

The unions have called for a complete review of the promotion process.

While defending the promotions, TSC CEO Nancy Macharia stated that the commission adhered to Article 56 of the Constitution in the promotion process.

However, her defense has done little to quell the anger from MPs and teacher unions, who continue to demand a full review.