Probe TSC's activities, Knut chairman Wilson Sossion says

By EDWIN MAKICHE

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) on Sunday called for an immediate probe into the activities of Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

Describing the Commission as a ‘rogue’ institution, Knut national chairman Wilson Sossion alleged that TSC was riddled with conduits of corruption and mismanagement.

He said the government institution rode on impunity saying that teachers across the country lost money to rogue senior who imposed fictitious check off deductions on their pay.

The chair alleged that the union had a dossier on rogue TSC officials who worked in cahoots with a number of third party check –off cartels and insurance companies and would soon make the information public.

“ We want to ask Labour cabinet secretary Kazungu Kambi to immediately do a cleanup of the commission as it  turned out to be a cash cow for some senior officials bent on exploiting the  already impoverished teachers’’ said Sossion when he hosted Knut Bomet branch officials in his home.

Sossion also demanded an immediate head count to determine the number of teachers in the country saying they were far below the 278,000 figure that the TSC records state.

He alleged that government lost millions of shillings every year to rogue officials who had planted names of ‘ghost’ teachers in the TSC payroll.

“It is hypocritical for the government to claim that it has no funds to address teacher shortage in the country yet it is already losing millions to ghost employees within the sector.’’ He said.

Sossion further claimed that the commission was under capacitated saying it operated with only three commissioners who are yet to be approved by the government.

Due to this, the Knut boss claimed, senior officials in the government had taken advantage to settle scores with Knut and control the education sector.

He mentioned a recent government directive to impose agency fee on teachers who were not members of Kuppet as a pointer that external forces used TSC to punish teachers.

“We want to ask the government to withdraw the gazette notice unconditionally; this is an effort to revive a union that is already on its deathbed. It is also against the law to impose such deductions without a commensurate salary increase’’ he said.

Sossion further accused the TSC of arrogating itself the roles of Commission of Higher Education (CHE) and university senates to lock deserving graduates from employment.

The chairman said by locking out graduates who scored C and below from employment, had not only overstepped its mandate but also denied a lifeline to Kenyans who had spent a fortune to pursue higher education.

“We want to set the record straight that any graduate of a chartered university qualify for the recruitment. The TSC directive borders abuse of powers and disrespect for educational institutions in Kenya’’ he said.

“ All chartered university in Kenya have syllabuses that have been approved by CHE and therefore  an individual  in TSC cannot just wake up one day and declare these qualifications invalid’’ he continued.

Referring to the current recruitment of 10,000 primary and secondary school teachers, Sossion dismissed the recruitment as sham saying the exercise was done without the approval of the commissioners as per the law.

He also faulted the commission for locking out Knut from participating in the interviews saying this was a plot by the senior officers to propel acts of corruption.

“Teacher recruitment exercise should involve public participation and various stakeholders including local administrators should be in attendance’’ he said.

Sossion directed Knut executive secretaries across the country to defy the move and participate in the recruitment exercise.