Uhuru to submit TSC nominees to Parliament

President Uhuru Kenyatta addresses the public during a state funeral service for Former President Daniel Arap Moi at Nyayo National Stadium. [Stafford Ondego/Standard]

The process of replacing three members of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) who retired last year now moves to Parliament.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to submit three names from nine nominees submitted by the TSC.

The TSC selection panel recommended nine candidates to replace commissioners Cleophas Tirop (Rift Valley), Salome Gichura (Central) and Saadia Abdi Kontoma (North Eastern).

The three retired after their six-year term ended last year.

Details seen by The Standard indicate that the successful candidates were picked based on the regions not presently represented at the commission.

In the wider Rift Valley region, two candidates–Margaret Lesuuda and Mary Rotich–were nominated and forwarded to the President.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to pick one of them as possible replacements of Commissioner Tirop. Both candidates are teachers or educationists by profession.

In the North Eastern region, three candidates were recommended to replace Commissioner Kontoma.

Abdijadir Kike, Salesa Adano and Leila Abdi were nominated for the job. The three are eitherb teachers or career educationist.

In Central region, four candidates were recommended to replace Commissioner Gichura.

Isaack Wamute Gathirwa (lawyer), Mbage Nga’ng’a (lawyer), Pius Nduati (accountant) and Florence Wanjiku (human resource) are the possible candidates to take up the commissioners job at TSC.

Once approved by Parliament, the three will join Beatrice Adu, Mbarak Twahir, Kinoti Imanyara, Tache Gollo and Albert Ekirapa currently serving in the TSC commission.

A total of 24 applicants were shortlisted to replace the three commissioners.

The TSC Act requires that the president within seven days of receiving the names, forwards the names to the National Assembly for approval or rejection.

MPs resumed sessions yesterday.

The names were recommended by a selection panel chaired by Prof John Munene Njenga.

Other members of the selection panel are Dr Mary Gaturu, director of quality assurance and standards at the Ministry of Education, Solicitor General Kennedy Ogeto and Prof Nura Mohammed.

Hellen Ambasa represented the Federation of Kenya Employers.

Former Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary General Francis Nganga and Dr Margaret Nchabira Kirai represented teachers’ unions.

Others in the team were Kenya Private Schools Association CEO Peter Ndoro and Mount Kenya University Vice Chancellor, Prof Stanley Waudo.