KUPPET demands withdrawal of TSC promotion list over disparities

The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has rejected the recent promotion of 25,252 teachers by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), calling for an immediate withdrawal of the list over claims of unfair distribution.

The promotions, which were published on the TSC website, come just a day before TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia is set to appear before Parliament’s Education Committee to discuss the process.

The controversy surrounding the promotions follows concerns raised earlier by the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association, which had termed the promotion criteria unfair and urged the commission to put the process on hold.

The association, alongside various education stakeholders, has argued that the method used to allocate promotion slots disproportionately disadvantages regions with a high number of qualified teachers.

According to TSC, the promotions are a result of two rounds of advertisements made in November and December 2024.

Of the total 25,252 promoted teachers, 5,690 had applied under the November call, while 19,943 had submitted applications in December.

However, 381 positions remain unfilled, even after the allocation of Sh1 billion by the Treasury, which was only half of the Sh2 billion initially requested by the commission.

Following the publication of the list, KUPPET’s acting Secretary-General Moses Nthurima dismissed the process as flawed and demanded that the commission revise its approach to ensure fairer representation.

He said that the equal distribution of promotion slots does not account for disparities in teacher populations across different counties, disadvantaging educators in densely populated regions.

“Given the disparities in staffing levels across the country, such equal distribution is inherently flawed and places teachers in high-population areas at a disadvantage. There are some counties that have more than 11,000 teachers, and others have 1,000 teachers," said Nthurima.

"So when you have distributed those slots equally, it means the populous counties will be less affected.”

The union further accused TSC of political influence in the selection process, alleging that some regions had been unfairly favored while others continue to suffer from stagnation.

Nthurima claimed that the commission had manipulated the process by repeatedly revising the promotion list to create the illusion of fairness, yet the outcome still reflected imbalances in distribution.

“The commission is no longer independent, as it can be pressured into approving significant promotions, which are rare and highly coveted. The clear implication is that teachers in smaller counties who receive preferential treatment, and their counterparts in more populous counties, are being overlooked due to intense competition among equally sized counties," explained the KUPPET boss.

"The published promotion list appears to be manipulated, with promotions being redone multiple times to create the impression that the process is being carried out properly.”

Speaking at a press conference at the union’s headquarters in Nairobi, the KUPPET official reiterated the union’s stance, insisting that TSC should go back to the drawing board and come up with a fairer system.

“We demand that the Teachers Service Commission withdraws the published list of promotions and revise it to ensure a more equitable process,” he said.

The matter is expected to take center stage in Parliament, where TSC officials will present a report on teacher promotions undertaken over the past three years.

Legislators will also examine whether the commission has adhered to legal frameworks and agreements with teachers’ unions amid growing discontent within the profession over the slow pace of career advancement.

With pressure mounting from teachers’ unions and Parliament, TSC now faces increased scrutiny over how it handles promotions, particularly in ensuring that qualified teachers in all regions are treated fairly.