TSC in danger of devolving corruption to counties

For the first time in Kenya’s history, resources and power have been devolved to the grassroots. Kenyans are not necessarily required to travel to Nairobi to seek services that are now on their door steps.

One group of Kenyans that has not realised the fruits of devolution are teachers. For so many years teachers, through their unions, lobbied to have the Teachers Service Commission entrenched in the Constitution as an independent commission and not a semi-autonomous Government agency as it used to be.

Just like any other government body, TSC devolved its function to the counties, which resulted in the establishment of a county director teachers’ management office whose duties are specifically to deal with issues affecting teachers starting from transfers and deployment of heads or deputies to discipline, monitoring and evaluation of teachers’ professional conduct.

untouchable

However, all these duties have in effect been shrouded with mystery. Today, one does not need to go to TSC headquarters for a transfer, which is easily worked on at the county office within hours or minutes as long you know somebody or you have ‘something’.

As an officer of the union on the ground, I can confidently say without any fear of contradiction that a day rarely passes without complaints from teachers of some rogue TSC officers at county offices trying to solicit funds from them in order to get transfers to certain stations or to be re-routed to another station after being transferred.

Matters are made worse when the same officers claim to be untouchable due to their blood relations with the senior most leadership of TSC.

This has become a habit but various complaints from the union to the TSC head office have fallen on deaf ears, a clear indication that they are unwilling to unearth the mystery or they are part and parcel of the whole saga. Whichever the case, the mystery remains.

For one to be deployed as a head or deputy of an institution, the rules of the game apply. Initially, when these services were offered in Nairobi, it would take days, months or even years.

The process was also expensive and tiresome as one had to travel to Nairobi to accomplish his ‘mission’, which led to many abandoning their pursuit along the way.

gains made

TSC is now an independent commission, and what used to be expensive has now become cheap and what was cumbersome and tiresome is now easy. That which was far is now near.

But without proper checks and balances in the devolved TSC county offices, the commission may end up climbing the ladder and topping the list of the most corrupt institutions in Kenya.

Was corruption also meant to be devolved?

The writer is Executive Secretary, Kuppet in Laikipia County