A teachers union has sharply criticised the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for what it termed a flawed promotion process.
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), said there were 100 dead teachers on the promotion list while others had either retired or left the service.
The union raised concern over the lack of transparency and merit in the TSC promotions.
Kuppet secretary general Akelo Misori, faulted the commission for lack of transparency, citing the concealing of identities of teachers on the promotion list.
"Our analysis proves that the commission promoted several teachers who were not on its roll, including those who were dead or had resigned from service," Misori claimed, highlighting the integrity issues plaguing the promotion process.
He further criticised the inclusion of non-teaching staff in the promotion list, saying they will benefit at the expense of deserving educators.
“The commission deceptively included dozens of Curriculum Support Officers and other secretariat staff at the expense of deserving teachers,” Misori said.
The Kuppet secretary general emphasized the need for accountability and challenged TSC to provide information on the number of promotions per grade and region.
"The TSC must take blame for bungling the chance to promote these long-suffering teachers as part of the unprecedented 51,000 vacancies it declared," he said.
"Overall, the union’s stance underscores the urgency for reform within the TSC to address systemic issues and ensure equitable promotion opportunities for teachers across the country," he added.
Kuppet Chairman Omboko Milemba echoed Misori's sentiments, pointing out glaring disparities in the promotion process.
“It beats logic that a teacher who is 57-years-old, has stagnated all along and is set for retirement in three years and somebody who was employed two years ago appears on the promotion list. Among these are 1,000 senior teachers who have not earned promotion for 15 years,” he said.
Milemba who is also the Emuhaya MP called for government intervention in the matter and advocated for increased funding to facilitate the promotion of deserving teachers.
"The government should in the supplementary budget provide for at least Sh5 billion for promotion of the remaining 150,000 teachers," he said.
Milemba further demanded a comprehensive reassessment of the TSC's policies on career progression, insisting that existing guidelines perpetuated stagnation of teachers.
"We will call for an overhaul of career progression guidelines that have consigned many teachers to perpetual stagnation," he said.
He reiterated the union's commitment to advocate for fair and transparent promotion.
The promotion issue also exposed discrepancies in job groupings with Edward Obwocha, Kuppet's national secretary of secondary schools, pointing out disparities in the treatment of deputy principals and principals.
“But we have teachers who have such equal ability, who attended the interview but were left out of the promotion. Some of them have grown old in the profession and were not considered,” he said.
He demanded a fair and inclusive promotion process that considers factors such as age, experience, and participation in extra-curricular activities.
“We will call for an overhaul of career progression guidelines that have consigned many teachers to perpetual stagnation,” he said.
The union has scheduled a meeting with the TSC to address the issues.
