Acting TSC boss Mitei among five shortlisted for top job

Acting TSC Chief Executive Officer Evaleen Mitei at the 49th Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) Annual Conference 2026 on June 25, 2026. [Kelvin Karani, Standard]

Acting Teachers Service Commission (TSC) chief executive Evaleen Mitei is among five candidates shortlisted for interviews to fill the commission’s top post.

Mitei will appear before the selection panel on Monday, November 16, 2026, at 10am at the commission’s headquarters in Upper Hill, Nairobi.

She will be interviewed after Cheptumo Ayabei, who is scheduled to appear at 9am. Robert Odette will face the panel at 11am, followed by Lawrence Kaburu at noon.

Farah Abdi Saman will be the last candidate, with his interview scheduled for 1pm.

The recruitment follows a High Court order directing the commission to restart the process  after judges nullified the initial recruitment exercise over procedural irregularities.

Mitei enters the contest with more than 31 years of experience in education and public service.

She joined the teaching profession in 1994 before moving to the TSC Secretariat in 1999, where she rose through various positions.

She has served as a Staffing Officer, Human Resource Management and Development Officer and Director of Teacher Discipline Management before becoming Acting Commission Secretary and CEO.

Mitei holds a Bachelor of Education degree from Moi University and a Master of Science in Human Resource Management from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

Her career at the commission has given her experience in teacher management, human resource administration and institutional operations.

Cheptumo Ayabei. [File]

Ayabei, who is scheduled to face the panel first, is the TSC Director of Finance.

He joined the commission in 1999 as a Finance Officer and rose through the ranks  to become Director of Finance in 2009.

Before joining TSC, he worked at the Ministry of Education between 1990 and 1999.

He holds a Bachelor of Education degree in Mathematics and Economics from Kenyatta University and a Master's degree in Finance and Banking from the University of Stirling in the United Kingdom.

He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA-K).

Kaburu currently serves as the Director of Health Revenue in the Tharaka Nithi County Government.

He has a professional background in business administration and finance, with experience in public sector revenue management.

Saman brings experience in education and county administration, having worked as a teacher at Takaba Boys Secondary School and Moi Girls Secondary School in Mandera between 1993 and 2006.

He later became principal of Khalif Girls Secondary School, serving from 2006 to 2009, before moving to Rhamu Dimtu Boys Secondary School, where he was principal between 2009 and 2013.

Saman subsequently moved into county administration, serving as Chief of Staff in Wajir County from 2015 to 2017 and Director of Administration between 2017 and 2022.

Since 2022, he has served as a County Executive Committee Member in charge of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation in Wajir County.

The recruitment exercise was restarted after the High Court nullified an earlier process initiated on May 6, 2025.

In a ruling delivered on September 17, 2026, Justices Dorah Chepkwony and Francis Nyungu of the Kiambu High Court directed TSC to conduct a fresh recruitment exercise.

The judges found that the initial advertisement gave applicants only 13 days to submit their applications, against the minimum 14 days required under the TSC Human Resource Policies and Procedures Manual.

The court also faulted the commission for  failing to disclose the proposed remuneration for the position in the advertisement, finding that the omission violated recruitment requirements.

The ruling, however, upheld the constitutionality of Section 16(2)(b) and (c) of the TSC Act, which requires applicants to hold a degree in education and have at least 10 years of relevant experience, including five years in senior management.

Following the judgment, TSC re-advertised the position on September 29, 2026. The application window closed on October 30, with the commission receiving 124 applications.