This archive report was first published on 12 August 2019.
On August 12, 2019, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) submitted a proposal to the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) recommending that teachers be placed under the direct management of the Ministry of Education, rather than their current employer, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
The proposal, presented by Knut Secretary-General Wilson Sossion, argued that most of teachers' day-to-day activities, curriculum implementation, supervision, quality assurance, and standards, and assessment fall directly under the State Department of Basic Education.
According to Sossion, placing the Commission under the watch of the State Department of Basic Education would greatly assist in addressing duplication of functions and reduce the cost of running the Ministry of Education.
The team led by Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji is expected to submit its report to President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga in October.
By realigning TSC directorates, departments, and sections after the merger with the State Department of Basic Education, the union believes that the running costs of the ministry would be reduced, with a lot of money left to hire more teachers.
Currently, the teachers' shortage in public schools stands at 96,000.
