Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma has said it doesn’t matter how teachers are employed, as long as all qualified tutors are given jobs.
Kaluma argued that some regions have been marginalised in teacher recruitment for decades.
"You can't demand professionalism from TSC after employing all teachers in your regions while ensuring teachers from other regions retire without being employed," he stated.
"We demand that all qualified teachers be employed, I don't care how."
Concerns have recently been raised over the manner in which TSC recruitment letters are being distributed, with claims that some politicians have taken over the role of the Teachers Service Commission.
On Tuesday, President William Ruto’s Senior Economic Advisor, Moses Kuria, criticised politicians for publicly distributing teacher employment forms at rallies and funerals, calling the practice a dangerous trend.
“There are several great ideas on how to destroy a nation. But the most glittering of recent times is politicians parading teachers’ employment forms at public rallies and funerals,” Kuria said in a statement on Tuesday.
“It’s so sad, especially for us — the products of great teachers. We have sunk this low, sadly.”
On April 20, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) condemned the alleged involvement of politicians in the recruitment process.
KNUT Secretary-General Collins Oyuu claimed that long-serving and deserving teachers have been unfairly locked out of opportunities due to political interference.
Speaking during a press briefing, Oyuu criticised the TSC for what he described as abandoning its mandate and sidelining qualified candidates.
“Never in the history of the Teachers Service Commission have we seen what is happening now. The TSC should operate strictly within its mandate. The manner in which employment forms are being distributed by some politicians leaves much to be desired,” he said.
Oyuu added that many teachers who completed training years ago are still unemployed due to discriminatory practices.
Earlier this month, TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia dismissed allegations that employment letters were being handed to politicians, calling them media speculation.
She maintained that TSC has always adhered to proper
recruitment procedures.
“I read this in the newspapers. It is giving TSC a bad name, yet we are the ones mandated to recruit teachers,” Macharia said while appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Implementation, chaired by Runyenjes MP Eric Muchangi (alias Karemba).
“You must be fair and humane. The idea of picking a teacher
who completed college in 2023 while leaving out one who finished training in
2010 raises more questions than it answers,” Muchangi added.
