Dr. Jamleck Muturi John and Timon Alfred Otieno Oyucho were yesterday the 3rd of May 2021 sworn in as Chairperson and members of Teachers Service Commission (TSC) respectively, at the Supreme Court of Kenya.
Following vetting in Parliament, President Uhuru approved the duo to start their duties at TSC and yesterday the Supreme Court cleared the last hurdle for them to get into office.
Muturi served as Agriculture, Fisheries and Cooperative executive in Embu County whereas Oyucho served as the TSC’s Director of Legal, Labour and Industrial Relations Directorate.
Muturi got the better of six other applicants and emerged as the top in the interviews. The other applicants for the job were former MP David Koech and Dr. Lona Mumelo, and former Kenya Secondary Schools Association (KESSHA), and also as a member of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC).
Dr. Jamleck Muturi comes into office in place of the outgoing Dr. Lydia Nzomo who was the first person to chair the TSC following its inception as a constitutional commission.
Nzomo had taken office in 2014 and she retired on the 18th of November 2020 following a six-year term in office.
Timon Oyucho used to serve as a Principal Discipline Officer, as a Provincial Staffing Officer, and as Principal at Ratta Mixed Secondary School in Kisumu.
Before his appointment, he was serving as a TSC lawyer until his appointment.
The newly nominated Teachers Service Commission (TSC) chairperson Jamleck Muturi while appearing before the National Assembly Education Committee has revealed that he will improve the quality of teaching by retraining teachers.
Jamleck Muturi underwent vetting on Thursday and promised to implement the teachers Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that was signed between TSC and the teachers’ unions in the year 2017 if the House approves his nomination as TSC chair.
The CBA was set to run for four years and its last phase shall be paid in July 2021.
However, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) said that the CBA has its weaknesses as it only favored school administrators and did not include classroom teachers.
Muturi however said that he will find ways of motivating teachers so that they deliver their best services in schools.
“The teachers should be motivated and able to do their mandate,” said the nominated TSC Chair.
Muturi has worked at the Department of Water and Natural Resources and was later moved to Education, Science, and Technology in the year 2015.
Muturi said that just like other professions like lawyers, teachers should undergo training after graduating to improve the quality of service that they deliver.
“It is important for users to bring dignity back to the teaching profession,” he said.
Muturi has a Bachelor of Education (Science), a Master in Business Administration another Master in Science and Agricultural Entomology, and a Ph.D. in Agricultural technology.
Muturi is at the moment an executive in Agriculture, Fisheries, and Cooperative in Embu County.
In Embu, he has a good record of employing ECDE teachers and building two classrooms as well as giving free milk to pupils.
In his past, Muturi has also been a high school teacher and principal at Kavutiri and Moi High School Mbiruri in the Embu region.
Jamleck Muturi has also been a lecturer at Embu University College, Kenyatta University, Meru University College of Science, and the University of Nairobi.
Education committee chair Florence Mutua led the vetting that was attended by Nominated MP and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) secretary-general Wilson Sossion.
Sossion wanted to know how Muturi will handle the issue of delocalization of teachers that has been led by TSC CEO Nancy Macharia and the outgoing TSC Chair Dr. Lydia Nzomo.
“I will engage parties involved and address the contentious issues,” answered Muturi.