Outgoing Teachers Service Commission CEO Nancy Macharia on Thursday delivered an emotional speech, highlighting her achievements as she prepares to exit the commission.
She will be retiring from TSC at the end of June after 38 years, the last 10 of which she served as the CEO.
She rose through the ranks from a classroom teacher to a school administrator, TSC director and eventually the CEO, the first female one at the helm.
When she took over as CEO, she said, there were just about 6,000 school principals, and in categories that were not well defined and remunerated.
“Today, we have more than 10,000 of you. The structure was refined and elongated,” she told the secondary school heads at the Sheikh Zayed Hall in Mombasa.
"Now, you start at D3, equivalent to JP-P, and the highest from JG-R to D5, which almost doubled your salary."
She was addressing the 48th Kenya Secondary School Heads Association annual conference for the last time as TSC chief executive.
She shared the doubts many had, including government officials, as she took over the commission at a time when industrial actions were more frequent than ever.
Being a woman was also seen as a weakness.
“In fact, one senior government official quipped as I took office: ‘Nancy, are you sure you will withstand the heat from trade unionists in the sector where industrial actions are their stock in trade?’" she recalled.
“I remember my only answer to the officer was, ‘With God and dialogue, I will manage.’ The rest has remained history today.”
She said together with school principals, TSC has made big strides in the last decade in the education sector.
“The quality of teaching and learning in our schools has been so far the best in the region. As testament to your formidable work, we have witnessed our teachers win awards both regionally and internationally year on year,” she said.
Macharia praised the work of principals, saying their management skills have been top notch, adding that they did not get as many ‘clients’ as they had imagined when they opened the wellness centre at the commission.
The wellness centre was meant to cater to those who developed mental health issues due to the stresses of work.
“Indeed, our wellness centre at the commission is not as stretched as we would have imagined, given the high number of teachers under your management.
“This is a clear sign that you are doing a commendable job in creating a good environment in our schools,” the outgoing CEO said.
She said the epitome of the principals’ excellent management skills was when the government introduced the 100 per cent transition policy that led to an increase in enrolment in schools.
“You were quick to innovate ways to accommodate the additional numbers even as you operated under shoestring budgets and thin teacher numbers,” she said.
However, she said the teacher shortage remains a thorn in the flesh, with Kenya currently being 98,461 teachers short in the basic education subsector.
The highest shortage, she said, is in the Junior School, which stands at 72,422.
The government, determined to address the staffing challenges, has set aside Sh2.4 billion in the 2025-26 fiscal year for the recruitment of 20,000 intern teachers.
“This will bring the total number of teachers recruited under the Kenya Kwanza regime to 96,000,” Macharia said.
The National Treasury has also allocated the TSC Sh1 billion for the promotion of teachers to higher grades.
This is over and above the 25,000 who were upgraded in the 2024-25 fiscal year.
She expressed confidence that the principals will equally manage the introduction of the Competency-Based Education in senior schools.
Grade 10 learners are expected to join senior schools next year.
The government, she said, has also allocated close to Sh1 billion for the retooling of senior school teachers on CBE.
This, she said, will better prepare the teachers for next year’s transition of the Grade 10 learners to senior school.
