Outside educators in North Eastern TSC interdiction
Due to security concerns, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has taken extensive action against non-local teachers seeking transfers out of north-eastern Kenya. The TSC has charged these teachers for failure to perform their duties. The TSC issued an order in September instructing teachers to report to their allocated workstations, however impacted teachers, including Geoffrey Kipng’eno Lelon, who lives in Mandera County but teaches in Kericho County, claim they have been unable to return owing to insecurity.
Lelon and others discuss the financial and safety obstacles they encounter when returning to their workstations, which include long and expensive road and air travel. The TSC, chaired by Nancy Macharia, responded by citing a violation of the instructors Service Commission Act and accusing the instructors of abandoning their duties at Rhamu Day Secondary School and Fincharo Primary School from September 9, 2023, until the present. They were arrested on September 22, 2023.
Some of the impacted instructors voiced surprise and uncertainty about the TSC’s decision, claiming that they were initially asked to compile a list of non-returning teachers, but that this was then altered to interdiction. Fearing penalties, these instructors worked together to oppose the TSC’s conduct.
For weeks, teachers have been protesting at the TSC offices, demanding that they be relocated due to insecurity caused by the Al-Shabaab terror threat and community hatred. They claim that the TSC has not handled their issues and requests effectively.
For the interdicted educators, the TSC specified a seven-step appeals process that involves submitting defense statements, seeing the commission in person, reporting to the nearest TSC sub-county once a month, giving further proof, quitting their offices, and sharing contact information. The affected teachers plan to hold a protest in front of the TSC offices on Monday to demand a resolution to their plight.
