TSC Denies Teachers Are Getting Jobs Through Politicians – Clarifies Constitutional Role in Hiring
The Teachers Service Commission has firmly rejected allegations that President William Ruto hands out teacher employment letters to Members of Parliament for distribution to their supporters in constituencies. TSC made this clear in a statement dated Thursday, August 27th, emphasizing that only the Commission has the power to recruit and employ teachers in Kenya.
The denial comes just days after National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula made serious allegations during a parliamentary session. Wetang’ula claimed that some MPs are actually demanding money from desperate job seekers who want to become teachers. According to the Speaker, these politicians promise to help secure employment letters in exchange for payment. He went further to allege that MPs are invited to State House where the President personally hands them batches of teacher employment letters, which they then distribute to their constituents back home. These claims sparked immediate concern about the independence of the recruitment process.
“The recruitment and employment of registered teachers, including the issuance of employment letters, is a constitutional mandate of the Teachers Service Commission,” TSC stated in their clarification. This is a key point that the Commission wanted Kenyans to understand clearly.
Acting Teachers Service Commission CEO Evaleen Mitei reinforced this message, making it clear that the Commission takes its constitutional role seriously. According to TSC, every single employment letter issued to new teachers goes through their established recruitment procedures and strict guidelines. There is no involvement from political offices or politicians in this process, they insist. “The Commission wishes to clarify that the statement is not true and is misleading,” TSC said directly.
The allegations by Speaker Wetang’ula have sparked renewed concern about how teachers are being hired in Kenya. Questions are being raised by various political leaders and civil society about whether politicians are truly using teacher employment letters as a tool for political patronage and to reward their supporters. This is a serious concern because it undermines merit-based recruitment.
On Tuesday, the Education Committee Chairperson Julius Melly also jumped into the debate. Rather than taking the Speaker’s claims at face value, Melly criticized the allegations and asked the Kenyans for more information on this alleged scheme involving politicians and employment letters. His approach was to seek facts rather than accept claims without evidence.
What makes this situation even more troubling is that some desperate job seekers are allegedly being taken advantage of. Reports indicate that some young people looking for employment are being asked to pay large sums of money to secure teaching positions. This is deeply concerning and suggests a possible scheme where politicians might be exploiting the hopes of unemployed Kenyans. The Speaker’s earlier remarks have only intensified this debate and raised questions about the true independence and fairness of the teaching recruitment process in the country.
The concerns raised have created unease among prospective teachers across Kenya. Young people waiting for employment opportunities are now questioning whether the system is fair and whether their qualifications alone will get them jobs, or whether they need political connections and money to succeed. This undermines confidence in an important government institution that is supposed to serve all Kenyans equally.
For now, TSC has made its position crystal clear employment letters come from them alone, through proper procedures, and not from State House or parliamentary offices. The coming days and weeks will likely see more pressure on both TSC and political leaders to provide transparency about how teachers are truly being recruited in Kenya.
