TEACHERS ARE TOLD TO LIST THEIR INCOME, ASSETS, AND DEBTS.
Dr. Nancy Macharia, chief executive officer of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), has issued a directive mandating that all public officers, and in particular teachers, submit a “Income, Assets, and Liabilities” (IAL) statement in compliance with Sections 26 and 27 of the Public Officer Ethics Act (POEA).
Dr. Macharia just issued a circular on November 7th, 2023, stressing the importance of initial declarations from newly hired teachers by December 31st, 2023. The Kenya Institute of Special Education, Secondary Teacher Training Colleges, Primary Teacher Training Colleges, Primary Schools, and Secondary Teachers were all copied on the circular.
The TSC implemented a web-based infrastructure, the Teachers Online Portal (https://teachersonline.tsc.go.ke/#), to streamline the declaration procedure. Dr. Macharia stressed that anyone with access to a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone can use the platform. The TSC has made available a self-help handbook for using the online declaration system, which can be found at [https://teachersonline.tsc.go.ke/#](https://teachersonline.tsc.go.ke/#).
Regardless of whether or not a teacher is on leave, they must report their IAL. However, this is not necessary for teachers in training. Public Officers Ethics Act violations are punishable by a fine of Ksh. 1,000,000 or by imprisonment for up to one year, whichever is greater. The TSC Administrative Procedures on DIALS also detail possible disciplinary actions against educators.
Only those whose official email addresses end in http://@mwalimu.tsc.go.ke can use the declaration platform. By taking this precaution, we can rest assured that the declaration form will be accessible only to those who are who they say they are. Once the form is submitted, an electronic copy will be forwarded to the instructor’s inbox for future use.
If teachers want to avoid any technological difficulties or system congestion on the 31st of December 2023, they should get their declarations in early. The declaration system went live on November 1, 2023, and it will shut down at midnight on December 31, 2023. No later than this date, all submissions received will be deleted.
