TSC CEO Nancy Macharia To Be Removed From Office. Dr. Nancy Njeri Macharia, the Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), is a woman under siege.
Macharia is being investigated for serving past the legal retirement age. The National Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee has inquired about Dr. Macharia’s continued employment even after she officially attained retirement age of 60 last year.
The committee’s chairman, Tharaka MP George Gitonga Murugara, has openly questioned why Dr. Macharia continues to work after Kenya’s mandatory retirement age for public personnel.
Specifically, he asked to know if she would pay back any money that were earned illegally during this time.
Dr. Macharia’s continued tenure stems from a renewal of her term in 2020, which extended her service for an additional five years until June 2025.
TSC CEO Nancy Macharia To Be Removed From Office
This extension has been defended by the TSC, citing legal provisions that classify Dr. Macharia as a state officer rather than a regular civil servant, thereby exempting her from mandatory retirement rules applicable to ordinary public servants.
Under the TSC Act of 2012, Section 16 (3), the position of Commission Secretary/CEO is designated as that of a state officer, outlining terms of service independent of typical retirement age limitations.
This legal interpretation aligns with Article 260 of the 2010 Constitution, which defines state officers as officials serving based on the terms stipulated by their mandate, rather than age-based retirement policies.
Dr. Macharia assumed her role on June 30, 2015, following a competitive recruitment process, succeeding Gabriel Lengoiboni, who retired after an 11-year tenure.
Her leadership has been characterized by a number of challenges and improvements in the field of education, impacting administrative and policy choices that have an impact on teachers all throughout the country.
The dispute concerning Dr. Macharia’s employment raises more significant questions about how Kenyan public officials’ retirement plans should be interpreted and implemented.
Even if her term extension until 2025 is authorized under the law, concerns about the justice and equity of such extensions remain, particularly when it comes to posts that are essential to government and public service.
When Macharia’s tenure expires on June 30, 2025, she will formally depart government.