Education stakeholders in Kakamega County, including parents and teachers, are urging the government to put merit first when it comes to recruiting, promoting, and deploying teachers. They believe that focusing on merit will help address regional imbalances in teacher-to-student ratios and improve the quality of education across the country.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has been called upon to strictly adhere to legal procedures during teacher recruitment to avoid political interference, which many say has increasingly complicated the process.
A recent promotion exercise involving 151,611 teachers sparked heated discussions in the National Assembly. Lawmakers criticized the process, highlighting issues of favoritism and irregularities within the TSC.
Members of Parliament serving on the Education Committee pointed out that the commission seemed to favor newly recruited teachers over those with more experience. They also noted uneven distribution of promotion slots, with some counties receiving far more than others.
According to these MPs, “teachers who scored 80 percent in interviews were promoted over those who scored 100 percent.” They also accused TSC CEO Nancy Macharia and board chairman Jamleck Muturi of submitting false documents, demanding a transparent review of the promotion criteria.
