School heads challenge TSC over promotion process

Secondary school principals have raised concerns over the Teachers Service Commission’s (TSC) promotion system, arguing that it unfairly disadvantages teachers in some regions.

They have petitioned the TSC and the National Assembly through the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (Kessha), seeking changes to the quota-based criteria.

The principals claim the system limits opportunities for teachers from areas with a high number of qualified candidates while favouring regions with fewer eligible applicants.

The petition follows the advertisement of 19,943 promotional positions by the TSC last year, with interviews conducted in January 2025.

“A quota-based system will lead to a situation where teachers in certain regions are at a clear disadvantage by unfairly reducing opportunities for qualified teachers from regions that have a higher number of competent and deserving candidates. In turn, it unduly favours candidates from other regions with fewer qualified teachers, even if they have fewer years of experience and lower performance ratings,” reads a letter signed by Kessha chair Willy Kuria.

Speaking to Nation, Kuria said they sought intervention from the Education Committee of the National Assembly after the TSC failed to respond to their complaints.

He alleged that some teachers were invited for interviews before completing the required six-month period in their job group.

“We easily got the information from the county directors and when we complained and wrote to the TSC, they never disputed the information. This was mainly favouring ASAL areas,” Kuria said.

He further noted that many teachers seeking promotion to Job Group Deputy D2 and below were not shortlisted or invited for interviews despite meeting the qualifications.

“Apparently, the foregoing happened in some regions while in others, that consideration of six months was made and the teachers were shortlisted. The upshot of that is that it will result and accord significant advantages to some regions while drastically disadvantaging others in what can correctly be surmised as marginalising some regions,” Kuria said.

Kuria warned that if the issue is not addressed, it could cause teachers to stagnate in job groups based on their geographical location.

“A promotional interview should prioritise merit, experience, and individual achievement. The imposition of a regional quota system undermines these principles by promoting teachers based on their geographical position,” the petition states.

He urged the TSC to adopt alternative methods that would ensure fairness while maintaining inclusivity and diversity.

“We urge the TSC to communicate the criteria and qualifications expected and adhere to them to avoid giving a false sense of hope to the applicants,” Kuria said.

Teacher promotions have remained a challenge due to financial constraints, leading to stagnation in job groups.

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Recently, the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) called on the TSC to publish a list of all teachers eligible for promotion in the 2024-2025 cycle.

The union also demanded fair distribution of vacancies, arguing that the current system allocates positions equally among all 47 counties without considering differences in teacher populations.

“Given the disparities in staffing levels across the country, such distribution is inherently flawed and unfair to many teachers. A county which has over 11,000 teachers has been allocated the same number of vacancies as another with just 1,000 teachers. The clear implication is that a teacher in the smaller county is 10 times more likely to get promoted compared to his or her counterpart in the more populous county,” said Kuppet acting secretary-general Moses Nthurima.