Following the start of Dr. Nancy Njeri Macharia’s terminal leave, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has named Eveleen Mitei as its Acting CEO and Secretary.
Dr. Macharia will retire on June 30, 2025, after ten years of service. Dr. Macharia formally stepped aside prior to her retirement on June 30, 2025, announcing in an internal memo dated June 1, 2025, that she had started her terminal leave.
Macharia served in a number of roles and supervised important reforms in Kenya’s education system during her illustrious stint at the Commission, which comes to an end with her retirement.
“I am proceeding on Terminal Leave with effect from today, June 1, 2025, pending my retirement from the Teachers Service Commission on June 30, 2025, after serving the Commission in various capacities. In the meantime, note that the Commission has appointed Ms Eveleen Mitei, to act as the Commission Secretary/CEO pending the appointment of my successor. I urge you to accord her the necessary support,” said Dr Macharia.
This comes after the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Mombasa issued interim orders suspending the recruitment process for the new TSC CEO.
This action was taken in response to a petition filed by a Mombasa resident, Thomas Mosomi Oyugi, who claims the recruitment process is marred by constitutional violations and discriminatory criteria.
In the petition, the petitioner argued that the entire recruitment process was rigged with constitutional violations as well as discriminatory criteria.
“The status quo that shall be obtained on May 27, 2025, at 5:10 PM, as regards the impugned process, shall be maintained till further orders of this court,” Justice Kebira ruled.
In a notice published in MyGov in May, TSC invited qualified candidates to apply for the top job.
The role involves steering the commission’s strategic direction and overseeing its day-to-day operations.
“The Secretary shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Commission responsible for the implementation of policies, decisions and strategies of the Commission,” the advert read in part.
Now focus shifts to the new acting CEO Eveleen Mitei who has an extensive background in education and human resource management that span over years.
Mitei holds a Master of Science in Human Resource Management from the University of Manchester (UK) and a Bachelor of Education
Her career at TSC began in 1994 as a teacher and she moved to the secretariat in 1999.
Before her current appointment she served as the Director of Teacher Discipline Management.
Her leardership reflects a deep understanding of education policies and teacher management.
Ms Mitei is known to be a no nonsense administrator who has for the last three years dismissed and deregistered at least four hundred teachers accused of sexual misconducts.
Teachers shall be watching keenly as she assumes her new role at the helm of the Commission.