The ongoing teacher recruitment in Kisumu County is a major concern, KUPPET has said, with political forces accused of manipulating the selection and deployment of teachers. The union claims political interference is undermining the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and is affecting staffing of schools.
Political Influence in Recruitment
At a recent press conference, Zablon Awange, the KUPPET branch secretary for Kisumu, expressed his frustration with the increasing political interference in the recruitment. Awange said TSC has given up control of recruitment, promotions and transfers to MPs. He said teachers backed by political patronage are being given preference and are being posted to schools with allowances. Other schools are being left understaffed and this is affecting the education being offered to students.
Awange also expressed concerns on arbitrary teacher transfers which he said are being done in the name of balancing staff but are in reality punitive measures to muzzle dissent. He said teachers with genuine medical transfer requests are being ignored and this unfairness is causing widespread discontent. In fact, teachers in Nyakach and Kisumu Central are so frustrated that at least 5 have threatened to resign due to politicized transfers. Last year, over 50 teachers left the profession because of these unfair practices.
KUPPET Demands
KUPPET wants TSC to take back control of the recruitment process and follow the constitutional guidelines which includes public advertisement of job vacancies. The union says political interference is creating a culture of nepotism where the most qualified are being overlooked for those with political connections.
Awange said the politicization of the recruitment is hurting not just teachers but the education system as a whole as it creates inequality and undermines education in Kenya. He urged TSC to do the recruitment transparently and fairly without external interference.
Political Leaders Weigh in
The claims of political influence in teacher recruitment have been backed by political leaders including Naivasha MP Jane Kihara. Kihara who agrees with KUPPET said the ongoing recruitment of 20,000 teachers by TSC is biased towards government supporters and regions. She called for the recruitment to be suspended until an investigation is done. Kihara warned that if the process is not stopped many qualified teachers will be left behind.
Kihara also mentioned the general challenges in the education sector including lack of funding and resources. She said lack of capitation funds is killing schools and making it hard for them to offer quality education to students. She asked the government to intervene to ensure schools get the support to continue offering quality education.
Kisumu County Schools Strained
While the teacher recruitment issues continue, schools in Kisumu County are struggling to cope with the increasing student numbers. At Naivasha Day Secondary School for instance, Principal Amos Gamba says the school has seen a big increase in enrollment. The school’s population has grown from 800 to 1,500 in the last 5 years. This is due to improved performance and addition of new resources like a newly donated bus.
The school chairman Joseph Kibuta praised the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) for providing the school with the necessary resources to cater for the growing student body. The new bus Kibuta says will be a big motivator for the students and will play a big role in increasing access to education.