Uproar after newly promoted teachers are transferred

Teachers Service Commission Ag CEO Eveleen Mitei before the National Assembly's Committee on Education at Parliament Buildings, Nairobi. [File, Standard] When the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) announced the promotion of over 21,000 teachers, many saw it as the long-awaited recognition of their years of dedication. But instead of joy, the new promotions have rekindled a bitter debate; the return of the controversial delocalisation policy that Parliament scrapped in 2022. According to TSC, the promotions are designed to plug leadership gaps in newly upgraded schools and strengthen instructional supervision as the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) prepares to roll out into senior school from January. But what teachers hoped would be a career milestone has turned into a misfortune, especially for many who have a few years to retirement. Many accuse the commission of tying the promotions to compulsory relocation. Teachers say they feel trapped between the promise of career progression and the pain of being uprooted from their families. For Mary (not her real name), a deputy headteacher in Kiambu, the letter of promotion was bittersweet. "I thought after 20 years of service I would finally get a promotion and remain closer to my family. Instead, I am told the promotion means moving to Kitui, miles away from my children. Is this really a reward?" she said. Her story mirrors the frustrations of hundreds across the country. Jane Ngai, a teacher in Voi, said she is left with only two years to retirement. However, TSC is posting her to Murang'a as a deputy headteacher. "When the opportunity came, I received it with joy and celebration, but it has quickly turned into anguish when I was informed that am moving almost seven counties to my new station," she said. In Nairobi, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) branch secretary, Macharia Mugwe, reported that more than 150 teachers had been transferred to Kitui. "This is unfair and punitive. The delocalisation policy ended two years ago, but TSC has returned it through the back door on the pretext of deployment," he said. Branch chairman, Nyamai Kasina, described it as "inhumane" to displace teachers approaching retirement. "For teachers nearing retirement, uprooting them from their families and communities feels like punishment. These are elderly teachers at the tail end of their careers. Why subject them to such dislocation instead of honouring their long service?" he said. However, TSC's Acting CEO Evaleen Mitei had earlier defended the move, insisting that promotions are based on merit and the need for equitable distribution of leadership. "These promotions are not just about career mobility, but about ensuring our schools have competent leaders who can inspire and support quality teaching and learning," she said in the advertisement. "Successful candidates will be posted to schools where vacancies are available. We are committed to equitable distribution of teachers and improving education outcomes in all regions." The commission's stance reflects a long-running justification. Former Education CS Ezekiel Machogu, while appearing before Parliament in June last year, explained that TSC must ensure equitable distribution and optimal utilisation of teachers in line with its constitutional mandate. Teachers, he said, are expected to submit requests for transfers, but postings ultimately depend on regional staffing needs. Additionally, during his vetting, Education CS Julius Ogamba promised to abandon delocalisation in favour of a "nationalisation" policy encouraging teachers to work in other counties on a voluntary basis. Yet union leaders insist that what is unfolding tells a different story. Knut Secretary General Collins Oyuu accused the commission of reintroducing delocalisation under the guise of promotions. "The government has set aside Sh1 billion for promotions. But we do not want it to be a way into delocalisation through the back door. You are a teacher in Mombasa, let the position be advertised in Mombasa so that you are promoted there," he argued. Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Secretary General Akello Misori echoed the concern, warning that forced transfers demoralise teachers and undermine schools performance. "Delocalisation leads to family breakdowns, poor morale, and declining student performance. I have once been a teacher and I know the demerits. It breaks families, demotivates teachers, and negatively impacts learners," he said. "Teachers are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for dignity, fairness, and respect. Let promotions be about merit, not about tearing families apart. Teachers should see promotion as an uplift, not uproot." Delocalisation, first rolled out in 2018, was intended to promote national cohesion by transferring teachers away from their home counties. Instead, it sparked resentment. By the time Parliament scrapped the policy in November, 2022, over 6,000 teachers had been uprooted. Lawmakers are now up in arms, warning TSC against repeating past mistakes. Lurambi MP Titus Khamala, who spearheaded the Motion to abolish delocalisation, said the commission was betraying teachers' trust. "The exercise was not supported with a clear policy framework and disrupted the lives of teachers, lowering morale and causing untold trauma," he said. He further argued that delocalisation contradicts Unesco's teacher deployment principles, which recognize education as a cultural process best delivered within a community's local context. Other legislators voiced similar concerns. Narok County MP Rebecca Tonkei called on TSC to exempt teachers above 55 from transfers. "The idea of recruiting locally then years later send them to far-flung areas in the name of delocalisation. We have to look at the process from recruitment to deployment and subsequent delocalisation," said Tonkei, while Makadara MP George Aladwa highlighted the burden on women. "Female teachers have told me that transfers to far-flung areas have threatened their marriages. This must stop," Aladwa said. Marakwet West MP Toroitich Kipchumba added that the policy undermines service delivery. "Delocalisation was an abnormality that must be corrected. Teachers cannot deliver if they do not teach in places where they are comfortable," he stated.

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