TSC accused of causing stagnation, failing to promote enough teachers

The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) have strongly criticized the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for failing to promote a significant number of qualified teachers.

During a recent meeting in Kericho, KNUT’s First National Vice Chairperson, Malel Lang’at, termed the promotion of 25,288 teachers as insufficient.

He emphasized that thousands of teachers remain stuck in the same job groups despite meeting the necessary qualifications.

KUPPET’s Kericho Branch Executive, Mary Rotich, revealed that the union expected at least 130,000 promotions to address career stagnation.

She called for a structured and transparent approach to teacher promotions.

“We have many teachers eligible for promotion, yet the Teachers Service Commission continues to delay the process. Even the recent promotions failed to meet expectations,” Lang’at stated.

The unions also accused TSC of unfair distribution of promotion slots, claiming some counties received fewer opportunities than others.

KUPPET Secretary General Moses Nthurima insisted that allocations should be done proportionally to ensure fairness.

“Counties with more eligible teachers should receive more slots. We demand a transparent and equitable process,” Nthurima said.

TSC’s promotion system considers merit, experience, and performance through the Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD) tool.

However, unions argue that many teachers have remained in the same job group for years, calling for urgent reforms.