MPs tell Wetang'ula to give evidence on TSC job letters claim

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) MPs during a press conference at Parliament on August 26, 2026. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

ODM MPs have challenged National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula to substantiate claims that legislators receive Teachers Service Commission (TSC) employment letters for distribution to jobseekers in their constituencies.

Ruaraka’s TJ Kajwang’ and his Seme counterpart James Nyikal on Wednesday distanced themselves from the alleged arrangement, saying they did not accompany Wetang’ula to State House to receive teacher employment letters.

The MPs said they would be ready to take up the letters if they existed, but demanded that the Speaker explain where they were and how the alleged recruitment arrangement worked.

Kajwang’ said helping constituents secure employment would be welcomed by voters, while challenging Wetang’ula to produce the alleged letters.

“If I could get the letters from wherever quarters and give them to residents of Ruaraka Constituency, they would be happy. They would vote me in,” Kajwang’ said.

He was responding to remarks by Wetang’ula over the weekend in which the Speaker claimed that some MPs receive as many as 10 TSC employment letters to help their constituents seeking teaching jobs.

Wetang’ula further alleged that some politicians had turned the opportunities into a source of personal enrichment by selling the letters to desperate jobseekers.

According to the Speaker, some of the alleged employment opportunities were being sold for as much as Sh400,000.

The claims have raised concerns about the integrity of teacher recruitment and whether political actors are being allowed to interfere with the constitutional mandate of the TSC.

Kajwang’ said he was yet to see the letters referred to by the Speaker and challenged Wetang’ula to clarify their whereabouts.

“I am still looking for those letters. I want to know where they are, and so that I can take them to Ruaraka,” he said.

He said MPs would demand an explanation from Wetang’ula when he addresses the matter on the Floor of the House.

“As to whether Speaker Wetang’ula went out there and said what he said, we will wait for him on the Floor to tell us where those letters are. If he is holding them in his office, we will break that door to get those letters,” Kajwang’ said.

He also rejected allegations that MPs could be selling the supposed letters for personal gain.

“If we are selling them, you know we are not cheap people, Bwana. Please, we are not cheap people to sell,” he said.

Nyikal was equally categorical that he and fellow Nyanza MPs did not participate in the alleged State House distribution.

“I know for myself, I know for these members, we did  not accompany Hon Wetang’ula to State House and were given letters for TSC recruitment,” Nyikal said.

“I think that is the basic answer that we can tell you.”

The remarks have deepened an unusual dispute over claims about how teaching opportunities are allegedly allocated, with questions now being raised about who receives the letters, who issues them and whether they are genuine TSC appointment documents.

Wetang’ula has not publicly named the MPs he accused of selling employment opportunities, nor identified specific beneficiaries or provided evidence of the alleged Sh400,000 transactions.

The allegations have nonetheless prompted calls for the matter to be investigated.

National Assembly Education Committee chairman Julius Melly said the committee would not tolerate the sale or political distribution of TSC employment letters.

Melly said the committee would consider credible complaints and seek evidence and clarification on the allegations.

The controversy has also revived concerns about the independence of the TSC, whose mandate is constitutionally protected under Article 237.

The Commission is responsible for registering trained teachers and recruiting and employing registered teachers, meaning that any political allocation of employment opportunities would raise questions about merit, fairness and the Commission’s independence.

Former Law Society of Kenya president Faith Odhiambo has called for investigations, describing alleged political interference in teacher recruitment as a constitutional matter.

Teacher unions KNUT and KUPPET have similarly warned against involving politicians in recruitment, arguing that such a system could undermine merit-based hiring and disadvantage qualified teachers.

The controversy comes as thousands of trained teachers compete for limited employment opportunities.

TSC has advertised 20,000 permanent and pensionable teaching vacancies for Junior Secondary Schools, with applications running from August 18 to August 31, 2026.

The Commission has also advertised 34,016 promotion opportunities.