NAIROBI — Kenya’s teachers’ employer is in the spotlight this week after lawmakers accused it of favoring certain communities in the latest round of promotions.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is under pressure to explain how more than 25,000 teachers were promoted in January a move MPs say shows glaring ethnic and regional imbalances.
“We push hard to secure funding for these promotions every year,” said Julius Melly, chair of Parliament’s Education Committee. “It’s unacceptable if fairness isn’t upheld.”
Melly, the MP for Tinderet, told the TSC to respond to the claims within seven days or risk a formal motion of censure.
‘Promotions Split Like Cake’
Figures presented to Parliament painted a stark picture. Just five ethnic groups accounted for over 60% of the 25,252 promotions.
Top of the list were the Kikuyu with 4,668 promotions, followed by the Kalenjin (4,003), Luhya (3,148), Luo (2,388), and Kisii (1,923). Marginalised and smaller communities saw few, if any, teachers elevated.
MPs said the pattern smacked of favouritism.
“It’s as if the promotions were shared out like cake,” said Julius Taitumu, MP for Igembe North. “You don’t even need to check people’s surnames. Just follow who got promoted and you’ll know which commissioner is behind it.”
Further concern arose over geographic imbalances. In some counties, nearly every eligible teacher was promoted. In others, like Teso South and parts of Busia, only a handful made the cut.
“How is it possible one sub-county had a full roster promoted and another had just four?” asked Moiben MP Phylis Bartoo.
TSC Defends Its Actions
TSC chief executive Nancy Macharia stood by the commission’s decisions. She told the committee that flexibility was needed, especially in areas facing staffing shortages.
“In some grades, particularly D3 where principals are needed, we didn’t have enough candidates who had served the mandatory three years,” she said. “So, a waiver was issued, reducing the requirement to six months.”
She also said promotions in hardship areas like Arid and Semi-Arid Lands had to account for real-time needs.
However, MPs weren’t satisfied. Several pointed to inconsistencies in how eligibility rules were applied.
“Some teachers have sat in the same grade for over seven years without promotion,” said Melly. “Others, who don’t even meet the basic requirements, are jumping ahead.”
Errors and Gaps in Data
The TSC’s documentation came under fire too. Lawmakers said it lacked crucial details like scoring sheets, ethnic breakdowns, and promotion histories from previous years.
“There’s no way to assess fairness without full transparency,” said Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera. “We want the full list names, marks awarded, ethnicity, and how each decision was made.”
Teso South MP Mary Emasse highlighted what she called “sloppy errors” in the paperwork.
“In Busia, your report lists ‘Busia’ as a sub-county. It’s a county. If you can’t get the basics right, how can we trust the rest of the data?” she asked.
The committee has now given the TSC a week to return with a comprehensive and defensible report including breakdowns by region, sub-county, and community.
What remains to be seen is whether this marks the beginning of serious reform or another round of political finger-pointing in Kenya’s long-running struggle with ethnic inequality in public service.
