The National Assembly’s Education Committee has questioned the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) over teacher recruitment gaps that continue to disadvantage learners, despite assurances that the process is fair and data-driven.
TSC officials told MPs that their policy framework guarantees transparency, merit, and inclusivity. They explained that vacancies are identified from shortages, distributed proportionally to counties, advertised publicly, and filled after decentralised interviews. A uniform scoring guide is used nationwide, with five percent of opportunities reserved for persons with disabilities.
Yet, legislators painted a grim picture of what happens in schools. Mombasa Woman Representative Zamzam Mohamed said the process does not reflect real classroom needs. “There are schools with only one TSC teacher handling hundreds of learners, while parents are forced to pay for additional teachers out of pocket,” she said.
Lawmakers also highlighted the plight of teachers who have remained unemployed for over a decade despite repeated applications. Homa Bay’s Joyce Bensuda said the 45-year recruitment age cap risks locking out many qualified teachers who trained years ago but never got hired.
Makueni MP Suzanne Kiamba added that some teachers in her county are nearing 50 years without ever securing a formal job. “That is a loss to the country’s investment in education,” she argued.
Regional imbalances were also criticised. While some counties enjoy sufficient staff, others are chronically short, worsening inequalities in access to education. MPs demanded constituency-level data to reveal staffing gaps and ensure fairer deployment.
They further faulted recruitment criteria that emphasise science subjects at the expense of arts and social sciences. “Balanced staffing is critical for delivering a holistic curriculum,” one MP noted.
The Education Committee concluded that reforms are needed to align recruitment with actual needs, particularly by prioritising early-career teachers and addressing long-term unemployment.
