According to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Nancy Macharia, the Commission is set to transfer thousands of teachers to new stations starting from April to early May.
The TSC CEO revealed that the delocalization process will take place across all schools with the main aim being balancing staff in schools.
Dr Macharia urged teachers not to worry because the process will be done fairly and shall end come the 9th of May.
However, the news about mass transfers has caused worry among teachers this month.
The announcement has not gone down well with most school heads who have experienced firsthand what delocalization has done to their colleagues.
In 2018, the delocalization of principals and headteachers resulted in many primary and secondary school heads being transferred to other counties and regions.
In the delocalization of that time, school heads who had stayed in those counties for more than ten years were targeted with the process eventually reaching deputy teachers, senior teachers and teachers.
According to the Commission, delocalization helps in stopping corruption in schools, reduces student unrest and brings about a more national outlook in the management of learning institutions.
Delocalization was then temporarily suspended after several complaints and pressure from various parties. COVID-19 added to this with the Commission unable to transfer teachers due to the pandemic as well as the long academic period lost during the prolonged closure of schools.
The process is now set to resume following a meeting with the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) which supported the move.
Delocalization has been a contentious issue for a long time with former Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion and the Commission having a prolonged tussle over the same.
However, following the signing of the new 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between TSC and the main teachers’ unions KNUT and KUPPET and KUSNET delocalization was allowed.
Only teachers with medical conditions and those who are close to retiring will be exempted from delocalization.
In addition, TSC CEO Dr Nancy Macharia also revealed during the release of the 2021 KCPE results that the Commission will have mass transfers so that there will be a proportionate number of teachers in public schools. This was after some schools were reported as understaffed while other schools had more teachers than they needed.
According to TSC, delocalization will improve teachers to learner ratio and create a balance both in schools that have more teachers than they need and those that are understaffed.