TSC boss Mitei honoured at regions' Superwoman awards
Education
By
Mike Kihaki
| May 18, 2026
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) acting Chief Executive Officer Eveleen Mitei, has been recognised as one of East Africa’s most influential public sector leaders.
Dr Mitei won two prestigious honours at the 7th Edition of the East Africa Superwoman Awards 2026 during a gala ceremony held in Nairobi on Saturday.
Mitei received the Africa’s Champions Award and the Superwoman Award, where she was also named the Most Impactful Champion in Transformative Leadership in East Africa and Kenya’s Public Servant of the Year.
Organisers said Mitei was recognised for her transformative leadership at TSC, commitment to integrity in public service, institutional reforms and efforts to improve service delivery within Kenya’s education sector.
Her recognition comes at a time when educational institutions across Africa are under pressure to modernise systems, improve efficiency and respond to emerging learning challenges through technology-driven reforms.
Education stakeholders have described the award as not only a personal achievement for Mitei but also a recognition of Kenya’s teaching profession and the reforms currently ongoing within TSC.
In her acceptance speech, Mitei emphasised integrity as the foundation of effective leadership and challenged societal stereotypes that continue to hinder women seeking leadership positions.
“We are leaders. And leaders of integrity. In my leadership journey, I realised the most important thing for a leader is integrity,” she said.
She acknowledged the challenges women face in leadership spaces, saying many still doubt whether women can effectively lead large institutions.
“We face so many challenges as women.. But we have broken the ceiling glass, and we believe that we are capable. We have the requisite qualifications, like men, and we are able to lead,” she added.
Mitei also used the platform to highlight the role played by TSC in protecting learners, especially girls, from abuse within schools.
“We also play a critical role in protecting our children, especially the girl-child, against sexual abuse, physical abuse, and emotional abuse,” she said.
The acting CEO further advocated for gender parity policies within institutions, citing TSC as one of the country’s leading employers in promoting balanced representation.
“In all our policies, we ensure that whatever we do, there is parity,” she said, noting that women currently account for 51 per cent of teachers employed by the commission.
Mitei took over as acting TSC CEO in June 2025 following the exit of former CEO Nancy Macharia, who proceeded on terminal leave ahead of her retirement.
Since assuming office, she has overseen major reforms aimed at improving efficiency, transparency and teacher welfare within the commission.
Among the reforms under her leadership are the digitisation of teacher services, expansion of online transfer systems, implementation of the “Swapmate” transfer programme and reforms targeting career progression for teachers.
She has also led discussions on the transition of teachers to the Social Health Authority healthcare system, negotiations for the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement and plans to promote more than 30,000 teachers.
Her administration additionally pushed for the absorption of intern teachers into permanent and pensionable terms, reforms in Junior Secondary School staffing and recognition of teachers involved in co-curricular activities.
Mitei’s professional journey began as a teacher in 1994 before joining the TSC Secretariat in 1999. Over the years, she served in senior roles including Director of Teacher Discipline Management and various human resource management positions.
She holds a Bachelor of Education degree from Moi University and a Master of Science in Human Resource Management from the University of Manchester.
Education stakeholders say the continental recognition reflects growing confidence in the reforms being implemented at TSC and affirms Mitei’s reputation as a calm, professional and transformative leader within one of Kenya’s largest public institutions.
The annual awards ceremony brought together distinguished leaders, professionals, policymakers and innovators from across the region to celebrate excellence in leadership, governance, innovation and women empowerment.