MPs, unions demand transparency after TSC teacher promotion list sparks uproar

A storm is brewing between Parliament and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) following the release of a teacher promotion list that has triggered criticism from lawmakers and teachers’ unions over alleged favoritism and lack of fairness.

Machakos County received the highest number of promoted teachers at 690, while Garissa recorded the lowest with 303 in the latest promotion exercise.

TSC shared this data with the National Assembly Committee on Education, which is now questioning the criteria used to arrive at the decisions.

Despite the variations in teacher population and regional needs, the distribution of the 25,252 promoted teachers appears relatively uniform across the 47 counties, a move that has led to backlash.

Lawmakers are demanding transparency, claiming the method lacked accountability and failed to consider years of service, population dynamics, and experience.

Tinderet MP Julius Melly, who chairs the education committee, said the promotion exercise deviated from previous practices and disadvantaged many deserving candidates.

"How do you promote someone three times in a row while others have been stuck in one job group for more than a decade?" he asked.

Melly said some newly employed teachers had received multiple promotions, leaving out others who have been shortlisted and interviewed several times without success.

The committee is now seeking detailed records showing how long each teacher had served before promotion.

Appearing before the committee, TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia defended the process.

She maintained that the promotion process was aligned with legal frameworks and was implemented in a decentralised manner to ensure fairness across all regions.

"Aligning promotion policies with legal and regulatory frameworks, the process strictly adheres to Regulation 73 of the Code of Regulations for Teachers, the Career Progression Guidelines, and the Policy on Selection and Appointment of Institutional Administrators," Macharia said.

Despite her assurance, concerns persist from teachers’ unions and elected leaders who argue that the criteria used in the promotions were opaque and poorly implemented.

Kuppet Acting Secretary-General Moses Nthurima called for the list to be withdrawn, citing an unfair process that left out qualified and experienced teachers.

"Some regions have been disadvantaged. If the 25,000 slots were not divided proportionally, based on the number of teachers per county, it means counties with high teacher populations are suffering. Those who have stagnated in a job group for years have been left out,"  Nthurima said.

According to TSC, a total of 5,291 teachers were promoted under affirmative action for the 2024/25 financial year.

Isiolo received 282 promotions, followed by Lamu with 280 and Mandera with 270. On the lower end were Kiambu with 46, and both Nairobi and Murang’a with 63.

The promotions span nine job grades from C2 to D5. Grades C4 and C5 recorded the highest numbers with 8,508 and 5,425 teachers promoted, respectively.

Additionally, 4,971 teachers were moved to grade C3, 2,519 to D1, and 1,445 to C2. At senior levels, 1,410 were promoted to D3, while 799, 128, and 47 were promoted to D2, D4, and D5, respectively.

Nthurima said teachers who have only served for a short time had been promoted over those with over ten years of experience.

He argued that the required qualifications—length of service, performance, and academic record—were not applied consistently.

He also challenged TSC's use of age as a factor in determining promotions.

"The commission now says it considered age as well, but age has never been a primary factor. The key elements are years of service, duties performed, and performance in curricular and co-curricular activities," Nthurima said.

He claimed Kuppet was not consulted during the process.

"We want to understand what informed such promotions. Unless there are hidden considerations, it is clear that many deserving teachers have been sidelined. We wrote to the commission, but it has never responded. It is like the commission does not engage unions. TSC believes unions are irrelevant," he said.

Nthurima gave examples of counties like Kakamega and Kiambu, where teachers have been acting as principals and deputies for years without confirmation.

"Some teachers have served as deputies or principals for six or seven years and are still being left to serve in acting capacity, while others in less populated counties are being promoted," he added.