TSC CEO Retirement Succession War. There is a serious succession dispute at the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) as commission secretary and CEO Dr. Nancy Njeri Macharia prepares to leave next year.
A confidential source close to the commission informed us that Dr. Macharia will go on terminal leave in March of next year. This is with a ceremonial retirement planned for June. This would lead to a conflict of succession.
The largest employer in East and Central Africa, which employs some 500,000 people between basic learning institutions and Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs), is currently the target of intense lobbying.
Different personalities are competing among politicians to head the group.
Those tipped to take over include a strong chairman of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA), based in one of the counties, and two senior directors in control of important dockets.
One of the powerful officials being considered for the role is a senior Ministry of Education (MoE) official who works out of Jogoo House.
Most notable individuals at Jogoo House have also approved the name of one of the CEOs of a Semi-Autonomous Government Agency (SAGA) because of his impressive qualifications.
Our Educationboard.co.ke News team has learned that certain politicians and experts are quietly approaching certain powerful members of the administration to suggest themselves for positions.
A female candidate has also surfaced, and some lawmakers who are eager to see the gender gap in high government jobs are pushing for this.
Opinion in government circles has been so divided over this position that the issue has become ethnic in nature.
TSC CEO Retirement Succession War
Last year, there was some confusion about whether Dr Macharia would leave office when she reached the mandatory retirement age or when her contract expired,with the commission’s Director of Legal, Labour, and Industrial Relations, Cavin Anyuor, clarifying that she is a State officer as defined by law and is not subject to retirement.
The TSC boss had then reached the required retirement age of 60 years.
Anyuor indicated that Dr Macharia would serve her full 10-year term,which will expire in 2025, as required by the TSC Act and the Constitution,
He further cited TSC Act of 2012 Section 16 (3), which identifies the commission Secretary/CEO as a State officer.
He went on to quote the Constitution, Article 260, which defines who a state officer is.
A brief biography on the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) website states that Dr. Macharia has over 28 years of teaching experience and was born in 1963.
Following a competitive hiring procedure, Dr. Macharia joined the TSC in May 2015, taking over for Gabriel Lengoiboni, who retired on June 30, 2015.
TSC CEO Retirement Succession War
She was up against more than sixty applications at the time, four of which made the short list. It had been Lengoiboni’s position for eleven years.
After being appointed in 2015 and having her tenure extended for a further five years in June 2020 in spite of opposition from stakeholders and education experts,
As a result of her leadership approach, strict policies that attempt to simplify the teaching profession and service delivery have been developed.
TSC CEO Retirement Succession War