The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has rejected claims of political interference and corruption in the recruitment of teachers, insisting that appointments are made through a merit-based process and in accordance with the law.
The Commission’s position comes amid controversy sparked by remarks attributed to National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, who claimed that some Members of Parliament had received batches of TSC appointment letters for distribution to jobseekers.
Wetang’ula’s remarks raised questions over whether politicians were influencing the recruitment process and whether teacher employment opportunities were being allocated outside the Commission’s established procedures.
However, TSC Chairperson Dr Jamleck Muturi dismissed the claims, maintaining that the Commission is an independent constitutional body with the exclusive mandate to recruit and employ registered teachers.
Speaking at St Mary’s Kiangima High School in Embu County on Thursday during a build-up event ahead of World Teachers’ Day on October 5, Muturi said appointment letters are not issued to politicians for distribution to preferred candidates.
“We are an independent Commission whereby we don’t receive instructions from anybody to employ teachers. We work within the realms of the Constitution,” Muturi said.
He explained that the Commission advertises available vacancies, invites applications from qualified candidates and conducts interviews before appointing successful applicants.
“We normally advertise positions and those interested apply and go for interviews, and no employment letters are given out by politicians,” he said.
Muturi further urged members of the public with concerns about the recruitment process to visit recruitment centres and observe how the exercise is conducted.
He also announced that the next teacher recruitment exercise is expected to begin in November.
The Commission’s position is anchored in Article 237 of the Constitution, which gives TSC the responsibility to register trained teachers and recruit and employ registered teachers.
TSC has previously stated that employment letters are issued by the Commission in accordance with the law and applicable recruitment guidelines, and that neither the President nor MPs have the mandate to issue such letters.
The Commission’s online recruitment system also states that vacancies are advertised and qualified applicants can apply and track the processing of their applications through to appointment.
