Wamuzi News Ke
A fiery showdown is brewing between the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), as the union raises serious concerns over a sweeping transfer of over 150 Nairobi-based teachers to far-flung counties.
The move, KNUT warns, risks deep disruption ahead of national examinations.According to the union, many experienced teachers—some serving Nairobi schools for years—have been notified of relocations to distant areas like Kitui, amid claims the transfers bypassed proper consultation or merit-based reasoning.
KNUT Nairobi Chair Nyamai Kasina blasted the process as “punitive and demotivating,” questioning why, after the formal abolition of teacher delocalisation, this appeared to be a back-door reintroduction.
Citing the fragile exam period, KNUT predicts dire consequences. “Displacing trained educators at this critical moment is reckless,” Kasina insisted. The union has formally demanded repeal of the transfer letters and a return to merit-driven posting policies.
Simultaneously, KNUT’s national leadership is calling on the new TSC CEO to curtail political meddling in teacher promotions and employment. Malel Lang’at, KNUT’s National Deputy Chair, accused politicians of misusing appointment letters as political leverage—sometimes distributing or even auctioning them at public gatherings.
This escalating clash marks a flashpoint in Kenya’s education sector: at a time when teacher shortages and exam pressures are mounting, suspicions of political interference and administrative missteps are threatening learning continuity. As the dispute intensifies, parents, students, and educators are bracing for possible fallout.
Stephen Musungu
