Devolving education will cripple TSC, hurt teachers, Kuppet warns

The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has warned that devolving education to County governments would be disastrous for teachers and learners.

KUPPET National Chair Omboko Milemba said devolving education would dismantle the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and hand teacher employment to counties — a move he termed risky.

“Saying we devolve education means scrapping TSC and handing over teacher employment to county governments. Counties have already failed to pay Early Childhood Development (ECD) teachers adequately and on time,” Milemba cautioned.

His remarks followed Raila Odinga’s proposal at the 2025 Devolution Conference in Homa Bay that education up to secondary level should be devolved.

Odinga argued that services must be brought closer to the people.

“It makes no sense for a Cabinet Secretary for Education to travel to Marsabit or Garissa to inspect primary schools. That should be the work of county governors,” Odinga said.

Milemba countered with history, noting that teachers had long fought to keep education under the national government.

“In 2005, teachers roundly rejected the Proposed New Constitution, which recommended devolution of education. In 2010, our support for the current Constitution was driven by its safeguards for education, including TSC’s independence,” he said.

KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori acknowledges the successes of devolution in areas like agriculture and enterprise, but says counties have fumbled with health and education.

“ECDE is dying a slow death under counties. These teachers are the most poorly paid cadre in the public sector, earning less than subordinate staff. Infrastructure is poor, salaries are delayed, and poor services,” Misori lamented.

He warned that devolving primary and secondary education would fragment teachers’ unions, weakening collective bargaining and rights protection.

“Instead of pursuing constitutional changes, Misori urged leaders to address pressing challenges in education, including free schooling at all levels to ease parents’ financial burden.

He also called for more funding towards promotion of 130,000 stagnated teachers, employment of over 100,000 new teachers to cover shortages that are facing schools, particularly the Junior Secondary Schools.

Additionally, Kuppet urges for relocation of Junior Secondary Schools to secondary institutions with better infrastructure.

“These are the issues Kenyans want solved, not another referendum that will gobble billions of shillings,” he said.

According to KUPPET, the future of education lies not in shifting responsibilities between national and county governments, but in fixing the system already in place.