- Mambo George has accused the TSC of applying a “local-local” recruitment approach that turns a national mandate into a community agenda.
- Mambo has questioned the legal basis for the practice, arguing that a teacher’s birthplace should not matter any more than a learner’s birthplace does in national schools.
- He has urged TSC to defend its independence and hire on merit and competence, saying qualified Kenyan teachers should not feel like foreigners outside their home counties.
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Machakos Branch Council Member and Teachers’ President Mambo George has faulted the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) over its alleged “local-local” employment approach, warning that it is shrinking a national constitutional mandate into a community agenda.
Mambo questioned when the Commission became a local institution. “TSC is not a county government institution. It is not a constituency institution. It is not a clan institution. It is a national constitutional commission,” he said, adding that Kenyans deserve to know the legal basis for the approach and why a Kenyan teacher should be denied an opportunity to serve Kenyan children simply because they were born in a different county.
He argued that the policy contradicts Kenya’s national education system, noting that national schools admit learners from Machakos, Turkana, Kisii, Mombasa and Nairobi. “Why should the teacher’s birthplace matter when the learner’s birthplace does not?” he posed, adding that if TSC is going local, then the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) should also set different national examinations for different counties, an outcome he described as unthinkable.
ALSO READ: Why parents must let Grade 10 learners choose pathways that fit their talent
According to Mambo, the greatest victims of the approach are young, qualified teachers who are reportedly turned away at recruitment centres for being outsiders. Speaking during an interview yesterday, he said a teacher does not become less qualified because they crossed a county boundary, and that no qualified Kenyan should be made to feel like a foreigner in their own country.
He urged TSC to defend its independence and remain national, insisting that recruitment should be based on merit and competence rather than birthplace. “A teacher from Kisii should not be considered a stranger in Machakos. A teacher from Machakos should not be considered a stranger in Kisii. Kenyan teachers belong to Kenya,” Mambo said.
By Gastone Valusi
Get more stories from our website: Education News
To write to us or offer feedback, you can reach us at: editor@educationnews.co.ke
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
