TSC: We received Sh3.4 billion only

By Augustine Oduor

Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has clarified that it only received Sh3.4 billion from the Treasury to recruit 10,000 teachers.

But teacher unions demanded that the missing Sh9 billion Education minister, Mutula Kilonzo, alluded to be accounted for if it was approved by the Cabinet.

Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) said matters of teacher recruitment must not be trivialised and asked Mutula to explain where the remaining cash was channeled.

Knut secretary general, Okuta Osiany, and the national chairman, Wilson Sossion, said only Sh3.4 billion was allocated to TSC according to their knowledge.

“We want Mutula to explain where the cash was lost between his ministry and TSC because he said his ministry received cash for 20,000 teachers,” said Sossion.

Kuppet national chairman, Omboko Milemba, asked the minister to stop confusing teachers because they know how much was released towards teacher recruitment.

The minister was quoted in the press as having criticised TSC for not recruiting 20,000 teachers yet his ministry had received Sh12 billion towards the same exercise.

80,000 gap

But TSC secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni said they only received Sh3.4 billion. Lengoiboni said he had requested the Treasury to allocate enough funds for a one-off recruitment of 40,000 teachers but was only given Sh3.4 billion.

“In 2012/2013 financial year budget we were provided with funds to recruit only 10,000 additional teachers and not 20,000 in line with the Cabinet approval as advised by the Education minister,” read anote from TSC to Finance PS Joseph Kinyua.

The teacher gap currently stands at 80,000.