Over 23,000 Teachers Receive Promotion Letters Amid Funding and Compliance Challenges
A total of 23,388 teachers who were promoted after interviews conducted in January and February have begun receiving their appointment and posting letters.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has released a comprehensive list of the promoted teachers per county and shared it with County and Sub-County Directors. These Directors are responsible for printing and distributing the promotion letters to the respective teachers.
Several counties have already initiated the deployment of these promoted teachers to schools with existing vacancies.
This exercise follows the green light from the National Assembly Committee on Education, chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly, which authorized TSC to move forward with the promotions. However, the number of promotions falls short of the 25,252 positions initially targeted by the Commission.
The promotions were made possible after Parliament allocated KSh1 billion to support the exercise, which only covered 5,690 of the intended 25,252 promotions.
Parliamentarians raised concerns after discovering that 5,291 teachers had been promoted despite not meeting the minimum three-year service requirement outlined in the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG). Lawmakers criticized the process, accusing TSC of biased and unfair practices, including advancing some teachers prematurely and giving preferential treatment to certain counties.
In a report presented to the Education Committee on May 27, TSC stated that 1,864 teachers were removed from the initial promotion list released in April for not meeting the three-year requirement, as recommended by the Committee.
TSC CEO Nancy Macharia confirmed the removals and added that the resulting vacancies were redistributed fairly across counties, taking into account the number of applicants interviewed.
To address the concerns raised, TSC is developing a new framework for promotions that will clearly define standardized criteria and procedures. Dr. Macharia assured Parliament that the upcoming guidelines aim to promote fairness, transparency, and accountability.
The removal of the three-year requirement in certain cases, Macharia explained, was intended to address unique challenges such as acting appointments and a lack of qualified candidates in marginalized regions. For example, in the case of Principal (Grade D3) positions, there were too few eligible candidates from Grade D2 with three years’ experience, prompting the requirement to be reduced to six months. For the Deputy Principal III (D1) roles, the experience requirement was waived in 18 counties, including Migori, Narok, Busia, and Mandera.
Following the backlash from MPs, the Commission was given a week to submit a detailed report explaining its promotion decisions.
TSC also announced plans to automate the promotion process through its online system, enabling digital applications, shortlisting, feedback, and issuance of letters — a move aimed at reducing errors and increasing transparency.
A new standardized scoring system has also been introduced for interviews, factoring in performance appraisals, leadership roles, age, and academic qualifications. Furthermore, a new policy enables automatic progression for teachers in common cadre grades once they fulfill the three-year service requirement and meet performance expectations.
In a bid to promote equity, TSC reaffirmed its commitment to gradually promote teachers serving in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), many of whom currently perform administrative duties without corresponding recognition or compensation. The Commission plans to align these teachers’ grades with their responsibilities through affirmative action.
Promoted teachers must now submit five integrity-related documents required under Chapter Six of the Kenyan Constitution, which focuses on leadership and integrity. These include:
1. Certificate of Good Conduct from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI)
2. Clearance Certificate from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB)
3. Tax Compliance Certificate from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)
4. Clearance from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC)
5. Certificate from an approved Credit Reference Bureau (CRB)
Finally, TSC is actively seeking additional funding to facilitate the promotion of another 20,000 teachers within the year.