Honorable George Peter Opondo Kaluma, the member of Parliament for Homa Bay Town Constituency, is petitioning for the removal of the Teachers Service Commission Chief Executive Officer Dr. Nancy Macharia with all of her commissioners.
The Teachers Service commissioners are; Chairperson Lydia Nzomo, Mbarak Twahir, Albert Ekirapa, Kinoti Imanyara, Tache Gollo, and Beatrice Adu. Their images are shown below.
Current Teachers Service Commissioners
The MP has been on the forefront to query TSC on matters of teacher Union wrangles and interdiction cases.
While addressing Parliament on Tuesday, 3rd December 2019, Hon Kaluma said he is moving the petition on behalf of the Kenyan teachers.
“I am being moved by teachers of this country,” Said the Honorable Member.
“I moved this petition to bring for the removal of all Commissioners at Teachers Service Commission (TSC), including the CEO,” added Hon. Kaluma.
The Homa Bay Town Parliamentary representative persuaded the house to support his petition to see that there is a change in leadership at TSC.
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TSC Delocalization of School Heads
The commission’s move of continuing with the delocalization of school heads has not augured well, especially with high school principals and primary school heads who are believed to be the propelling forces in the teachers’ unions.
This year, the wrangles between the Teachers Commission and the Teachers Union escalated to critical levels.
In a notable incident, the Commission deregistered the Kenya National Union of Teachers KNUT Secretary-General Hon. Wilson Sossion from the Teachers registers through a gazette notice.
However, the Labour and employment relations court managed to reverse the TSC’s gazette notice. The Court reinstated the nominated member of parliament as a registered teacher awaiting the hearing and determination of the case filed by him.
Interdiction of Teachers after CBC Teachers Training Commotions
Another pertinent issue raised by the legislator is on the interdiction of teachers by the teachers’ commission.
According to Parliamentary Proceedings files, Hon. Kaluma requested a statement from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) On 19th September 2019, concerning the interdiction of teachers after the CBC teacher training saga.
TSC responded to the honorable member on the issue.
Honorable Julius Kipbiwot Melly Tindered member of parliament publicly read it to all members of the legislative house.
The commission gave him a background to the cause of the teacher’s interdictions, details of the professional misconduct, and the regulations that the teachers contravened.
Besides, TSC gave details of how it conducted the investigations and their findings.
The response was not well received after Hon Kaluma immediately complained to the Speaker of the house that The Chair of the Committee did not give him a copy of the statement before he read it.
Confirmation of Deputy Head Teachers by TSC
Wundanyi MP, Hon Danson Mwashako Mwakuwona, also tasked the Teachers Service Commission to explain in writing why it is yet to confirm the various deputy headteachers who have been faithfully serving in acting capacities for the positions of headteachers in various schools for unjustifiably long periods?
Also, Hon Mwashako demanded to know why TSC prohibited the unconfirmed deputy headteachers from indicating in their curriculum vitae and other official engagements with the TSC, that they have been serving in these positions in acting capacities?
Illegal Transfer of Teachers Living with Disabilities
On the illegal transfer of teachers living with disabilities, Hon Lilian Cheptoo Tomitom, West Pokot member of parliament, took TSC head-on. She wanted an explanation to Miss Martha Lorot, TSC No.369861, a teacher living with disability and a single mother teaching at Alale Primary School in Kacheliba Constituency, West Pokot County, was transferred to Trans Nzoia County about 600 kilometers away from her former school under the teachers’ delocalization policy?
The MP argued that the delocalization policy exempts teachers living with disabilities from the transfers or delocalization.
Therefore, she wanted the Commission to exempt the teachers living with disability from arbitrary transfers through the delocalization policy and reverse Madam Martha Lorot transfer status.
Hon Kaluma Petition to Get TSC CEO out of Office
The Homa Bay member of Parliament promised told parliament yesterday that he will petition for the removal of TSC CEO and all the commissioners.
The MP says the TSC leadership have vailed to manage teachers’ issues properly, hence necessitating their removal.
Hon Kaluma referred to various issues handled by TSC, including the interdiction of teachers, and union wrangles.
“This is a very serious matter,” Complained Hon Kaluma.
The MP told the legislative house, on Thursday last week, that some of the interdicted teachers have since died—up to about three of them.
“Teachers who processed all of us, Mr. Speaker, need to be treated with all the dignity they deserve,” warned the Mp.
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The legislature pleaded that, “… we stop this situation where a commission thinks they own all the people under the sector(education sector)…”.
However, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Justine Muturi referred the matter to the Parliamentary Education Committee.
If given full support by other members of parliament, Hon Kaluma’s petition will see the current TSC officials moved out of the office.
As teachers, we feel that matters pertaining education should be handled with maximum caution. Leaders will come and exit offices, but education for our children will remain. If teachers are traumatized they cannot deliver. Any person working under threat does not deliver well. Personal differences should not spill over to education systems.
Let the stakeholders in education sector rethink the actions they take. Acting under emotions leaves a lot of scars.
When Marie Antoinette was overcome by emotions and pride she aggravated the situation.
The key solution to differences is dialogue coupled with swallowing individual pride.
In conclusion, we should understand who we are, what we should do and what to say and to who.
Every dog barks to protect its territory because that is where it feeds. Let us focus on the generation to come.
The Ceo has personal vendetta with Knut SG.This has culminated to untold suffering to teachers.Promotion of teachers with higher academic qualification are being used as pawns by tsc.
tsc has failed kenya teacher .teaching is now a market kiosk bure kabisa
Tsc should transfer the principal s within the regions and leave that task to Regional coordinator s.
While primary Hts should be within the counties an d this can be done effectively by county director s
TSC has failed,infact they should come out clear on intern issue,if a high school teacher earns 15,000 is it for diploma /undergraduate undergraduate? they are not clear, if the government is involved they shld tell us, the same government that is fighting Corruption then it should start with education sector.
TSC CEO prides in harassing teachers through inhuman, hurried, unpopular and plainly meaningless policies which are processed and channelled out almost on hourly basis.
Whoever will take over from the current CEO should prepare to start from the scratches in putting the TSC house back in order. For the rot in that house is stinging horribly.
A big let down and total mess of issues of teachers management and Kenyan children’s welfare.
This petition should have been arrested long ago before it got to this unprecedented level.
TSC CEO has failed Kenyan Teacher and she forgot that it was because of the teachers she is in office.
She has taken teachers to the suffering of monumental scale.
She is not serving teachers and in such a situation,she should pack and go with all the commissioners who watch to see her administrate mess in TSC.
Well said.TSC is in mess and it was messed by the current CEO