This archive report was first published on 2 January 2020.
On December 31, 2019, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) transferred 2,631 school heads, including 1,010 high school principals and 1,621 primary school head teachers, amidst concerns over teacher morale and performance.
According to the Senate Education committee, the transfers were made just a year after the affected school heads had been moved, with some having turned around the performance and standards of education in their schools.
Chairman Christopher Langat (Bomet) expressed his concerns, stating that the transfers have left boards of management, principals, and teachers demoralized, and have raised concerns about the risk of poor performance in national examinations.
"It is unfortunate that some of the principals who have been transferred are those who had been at their stations for a year and had turned around performance and standards of education in their schools," Langat said.
Langat noted that the boards have raised legitimate concerns about the transfers under the delocalisation programme, which was first rolled out in 2017 by the TSC.
"Their complaints are legitimate and should be urgently addressed by the commission," he added.
Ms Nancy Macharia, the TSC's chief executive, defended the transfers, stating that they were undertaken to ensure equitable distribution and optimal utilisation of teachers, and to expose them to work experience in different stations.
However, the Kenya National Union of Teachers' Executive Secretary for Bomet, Mr Malel Langat, disputed this, stating that some teachers were transferred despite having terminal illnesses or being recently widowed.
"It is unfortunate that despite very clear records that some of the teachers have various terminal illnesses or are recently widowed, the TSC transferred them, disregarding advise from doctors that they be placed near their homes," he said.
Mr Edward Obwocha, the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) secretary in charge of secondary schools, welcomed the TSC's re-advertisement of more than 3,000 vacancies, including 369 positions for principals, 451 for head teachers, and 2,364 for deputy head teachers.
