Vihiga Kuppet officials oppose MPs' push to halt teachers promotions

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Vihiga branch officials have criticised the National Assembly Education Committee’s decision to reject the recent promotion of more than 25,000 teachers.

The officials accused the lawmakers of overreaching their mandate and interfering with the professional independence of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

Kuppet officials led by Vihiga branch Secretary General Sabala Inyeni, said the move as unlawful and detrimental to the morale and career progression of teachers nationwide.

“The decision by MPs to demand the cancellation of the list of promotions published by the TSC is illegal, reckless, and undermines the commission’s autonomy,” Inyeni said.

The unionist insisted that MPs lack the expertise and authority to determine which teachers deserve promotion.

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The promotions, which affected 25,252 teachers across the country, were announced by the TSC and subsequently submitted to the National Assembly Education Committee for review.

The list has since sparked debate, with lawmakers raising questions over the fairness of the selection criteria and regional distribution of the promoted individuals.

Last week, the Committee, chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Meli, raised concerns over what they termed bias, favouritism, and the promotion of inexperienced teachers. Legislators also questioned the apparent uniformity in the allocation of promotion slots, suggesting the process failed to account for demographic and historical disparities.

In response, TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia defended the promotions, saying that the process was guided by established regulatory frameworks, including Regulation 73 of the Code of Regulations for Teachers, the Career Progression Guidelines, and the Policy on Selection and Appointment of Institutional Administrators.

Kuppet Vihiga officials alleged that some MPs want to use teacher recruitment and promotion to gain political mileage ahead of future elections.

“We are aware that certain legislators have been distributing employment letters from the TSC in their constituencies, thereby politicising a process that should remain strictly professional,” Inyeni claimed.

The union is now calling on National Assembly to focus on increasing budgetary allocations to the education sector rather than interfering with TSC operations.

“We urge the National Assembly to allocate more funds to the TSC to enable the promotion of additional teachers, including those who were interviewed but not promoted,” Inyeni added.

Kuppet officials have warned that continued political interference in the promotion and hiring processes risks eroding gains made in the country’s education system. They have threatened to mobilise against any MPs implicated in what they termed irregular and illegal practices.

However, Kuppet National Chairman and Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba has publicly supported the Education Committee's position.

“We petitioned Parliament to stop the promotions because the formula was unfair. We wanted equity in the distribution of resources. We want Parliament to investigate TSC over the funds we released to them,” said Milemba.