Several teachers across the country are facing disciplinary action following the December 2025 Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) retooling exercise, with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) issuing show-cause and interdiction letters over alleged misconduct during the training sessions.
One such letter seen by Education News, issued by the TSC Mathira East Sub-County office on December 17, 2025, accuses a teacher of attending the retooling exercise while drunk and behaving in an unprofessional and disruptive manner during the opening ceremony of the training held on December 15.
In the letter signed by the Sub-County Director, the teacher is accused of breaching Clause C(i) of the Teachers Act, with allegations ranging from shouting at fellow teachers in vernacular, claiming to be a “CEO of teachers,” interrupting facilitators, questioning the presence of trainers from Kagumo Teachers Training College, and openly confronting TSC officials during the session.
The teacher was ordered to respond within seven days and show cause why disciplinary action, including possible interdiction, should not be taken.
However, in a strongly worded response to the Commission, one of the affected teacher in a letter, has categorically denied all the allegations, terming them speculative, unsupported, and procedurally flawed.
“I categorically deny the allegation that I attended the said exercise while drunk,” the teacher states in the response, noting that no alcohol test, medical examination, or scientific assessment was conducted to substantiate such a serious claim.
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The teacher further argues that the accusation of drunkenness is grave and damaging, adding that no objective method was used to distinguish between natural scent and alcohol. “For avoidance of doubt, I do not consume alcohol,” the response reads, describing the allegation as legally unsustainable without medical or chemical testing.
On claims of unprofessional conduct, the teacher maintains that their actions were within acceptable professional bounds and that statements attributed to them were either misconstrued, taken out of context, or inaccurately reported.
The response concludes that there is no factual, legal, or evidentiary basis to warrant disciplinary action and urges the Commission to drop the case.
While this is one documented example, teachers’ unions and educators say it reflects a broader pattern witnessed during the December retooling exercise, where multiple teachers in different regions were reportedly served with show-cause or interdiction letters over alleged misconduct, lateness, absenteeism, or confrontations with facilitators and TSC officials.
Some teachers privately complain that the retooling environment was tense, overcrowded, and poorly coordinated in some centres, leading to misunderstandings and confrontations that later escalated into disciplinary cases.
Education stakeholders now question whether due process was uniformly followed, particularly in cases involving serious allegations such as intoxication, which ordinarily require medical verification.
When contacted for comment, Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Secretary General Akello Misori said the union was still verifying the authenticity of the letters and would issue a substantive response once that process is complete.
“The teachers will inform us if those letters are legitimate. So I will comment thereafter. The due process has begun, and I can’t prejudice the matter,” said Misori.
By Philip Koech
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