Members of Parliament have demanded urgent reforms and transparency from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) regarding the promotion of teachers, citing delays, stagnation, and inconsistencies that have sparked nationwide discontent.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Education Committee, TSC officials faced a barrage of questions from lawmakers frustrated by what they termed as a lack of accountability and fairness in teacher advancement.
Led by Vice Chairperson Hon. Eve Obara (Kabondo Kasipul), legislators questioned the Commission’s persistent reliance on budget constraints as a justification for stalled promotions.
“TSC cannot keep blaming budget deficits year in, year out while thousands of teachers stagnate in the same job groups,” said Hon. Obara. “What is the Commission doing to make the promotion process predictable, fair, and inclusive?”
MPs sought clarity on whether TSC’s promotion criteria align with legal frameworks, collective bargaining agreements with teacher unions, and international best practices.
Hon. Abdul Haro highlighted the broader impact of the stagnation, stating, “These delayed promotions have negatively impacted teacher morale, retention, and the overall quality of education.”
The committee was told that more than 178,000 teachers remain stuck in the same job groups due to a massive Sh35 billion funding shortfall. Only Sh2 billion has been allocated over the past two financial years to address the backlog.
TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia admitted that the Commission’s Career Progression Guidelines (CPG), designed to streamline teacher growth, had been significantly slowed down by underfunding.
“Lack of sufficient budgetary provision has impeded career growth, triggered union complaints, lowered morale, and increased attrition,” said Dr. Macharia.
She reported that from 2023 to 2025, a total of 151,611 teachers were promoted — 75,090 through common cadre progression and 76,521 through competitive processes.
However, lawmakers raised concerns about regional disparities and alleged favoritism in the promotion process. Hon. Phylis Bartoo called for enhanced affirmative action.
“What measures has TSC put in place to ensure greater representation of women, teachers in hardship areas, and special needs educators in leadership?” she asked.
In response, Dr. Macharia defended the Commission’s approach, citing digitized applications, adherence to Regulation 73 of the Code of Regulations for Teachers (CORT), and the use of data analytics to support equity.
“The process is guided by transparency, performance, merit, and affirmative action, especially in marginalised and hard-to-staff areas,” she noted.
TSC emphasized its application of Article 56 of the Constitution, which mandates inclusivity through measures like reserving promotion slots for female and special needs teachers and shortlisting all eligible candidates from marginalised regions.
But Hon. Nabii Nabwera criticized the current system, arguing that quotas often override merit.
“Some deserving teachers are overlooked simply because their county has ‘exceeded the quota’. That’s discriminatory and undermines meritocracy,” he asserted.
To address these concerns, TSC said it has automated the promotion process through its Teachers Online System, allowing real-time tracking and faster processing. The Commission also intends to revise the Career Progression Guidelines and Code of Regulations for Teachers through public participation once the TSC Act is amended.
In the current financial year alone, TSC has promoted 25,252 teachers.
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