Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has opposed the transfer of teachers from Nairobi, warning that this will attract severe consequences, especially during national examinations.
The transfers are part of teacher delocalisation, which refers to the mandatory transfer of teachers to work in areas outside their home regions.
According to the KNUT chair of the Nairobi Branch, Nyamai Kasina, the transfer of teachers, especially long-serving teachers, by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) from Nairobi to other regions of the country, such as Kitui, might subsequently lead to poor performances in the upcoming national examinations in the county.
Kasina, who described the delocalisation as punitive and inhumane, claimed that TSC has already issued delocalisation letters to teachers. The government had abolished the delocalisation of teachers, according to KNUT.
"Some have already received the delocalisation letters, and some have been left with three months. We knew the delocalisation of teachers was over, but it seems to have come back to Nairobi," Kaisna said in a press briefing on Wednesday, August 3.
On the other hand, the unions' branch Secretary General, Macharia Mugo, claimed that TSC should immediately revoke the delocalisation letters that have been issued to teachers.
According to Mugo, the service should focus more on promoting the long-serving teachers rather than transferring them to other regions to improve the education ecosystem of the country's capital.
"We demand that TSC immediately revoke the punitive letters and adhere to our government policy on delocalisation. The only concern is that instead of giving these teachers promotional letters, they put a condition," Mugo said.
The announcement comes a day after the Union warned the new TSC leadership against tolerating political interference in the employment and promotion of teachers.
In a statement on Tuesday, September 3, the KNUT National Chairperson, Malel Lang’at, claimed that the involvement of politicians in teachers' promotions has prevented deserving graduates and employed teachers from getting employed.
Lang'at further alleged that politicians had gone as far as collecting employment letters directly from TSC offices and later distributing or “auctioning” them during public gatherings.
The chairperson urged the new TSC CEO, Evaleen Mitei, to ensure that malpractice is eliminated under his tenure.
“As a union, we are saying that teachers should be given priority and a chance to be employed without any bias that has been in place due to politics,” Lang'at said.
