- TSC CEO Evaleen Mitei has joined education officials at the Kenya Music Festival in Bungoma.
- The festival showcases learners’ creativity while highlighting the role of arts in holistic education.
- Teachers responding online raised separate concerns over salary arrears, JSS transfers and employment opportunities.
Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Chief Executive Officer Evaleen Mitei, MBS, has joined senior education officials and other stakeholders at the 2026 Kenya Music Festival (KMF) at Kibabii University in Bungoma, as teachers used the occasion to raise concerns over delayed salary arrears and transfer challenges.
Mitei attended the festival alongside Principal Secretary for Higher Education and Research Dr Beatrice Inyangala, Alupe University Vice Chancellor Prof Peter Barasa, Kenya Music Festival Chairman Dr Frederick Ngala, MBS, OGW, and TSC Director of Field Coordination and Co-Curricular Activities Nelson M. Sifuna, among other officials.
The 2026 festival is being held under the theme “Enhancing the Creative Economy Through Knowledge, Skills and Artistic Production for Sustainable Development.”
The event has brought together learners, teachers, education officials and other stakeholders to celebrate Kenya’s cultural heritage while showcasing the role of music and performing arts in nurturing talent and creativity among learners.
The Commission said co-curricular activities remain an important component of education, providing learners with opportunities to develop talents, creativity, discipline, confidence and other skills beyond classroom learning.
Through the Kenya Music Festival, learners from across the country are able to showcase their artistic abilities while interacting with other participants and celebrating Kenya’s diverse cultural traditions.
The festival also provides a platform for identifying and nurturing young talent that could contribute to Kenya’s expanding creative economy.
TSC has continued to emphasise the importance of holistic learner development, with co-curricular activities forming part of the wider education experience.
Teachers turn to TSC CEO over salary arrears
While the official TSC communication focused on the music festival and talent development, responses from teachers on the Commission’s social media post highlighted challenges facing some educators.
One teacher appealed directly to Mitei to intervene over salary arrears affecting teachers who were employed earlier in the year.
The teacher said some newly employed educators were still waiting for their arrears to be paid, adding that the delays were creating financial difficulties for affected teachers.
The teacher also linked the financial pressure to difficulties meeting personal obligations, including debts.
The concerns underline the importance of timely payroll processing for newly recruited teachers, particularly those who may have experienced delays between their appointment, deployment and placement on the TSC payroll.
JSS teachers seek transfer opportunities
Another teacher used the platform to ask whether Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers can apply for transfers.
The teacher described the matter as urgent, highlighting the continuing demand for clarity around transfer opportunities for educators serving in the Junior School section.
Transfer requests have remained an important human-resource issue within the teaching profession, with teachers often seeking movement because of family circumstances, distance from their homes, working conditions or other personal considerations.
The emergence of such a question on the CEO’s post reflects the expectations among teachers for clear information on transfer procedures and opportunities.
Job seekers also appeal to TSC
The discussion also attracted comments from individuals seeking employment opportunities within the education sector.
One commenter directly appealed for a job, saying that even an internship opportunity would be welcome.
The reactions demonstrate the wider employment pressure within Kenya’s education sector, where thousands of trained teachers and education graduates continue to look for opportunities.
For TSC, balancing recruitment needs, available budgetary allocations and staffing requirements across schools remains a major human-resource challenge.
Despite the concerns raised in the online discussion, the 2026 Kenya Music Festival remains focused on its broader objective of nurturing artistic talent among Kenyan learners.
The festival provides learners with an opportunity to develop performance skills while gaining confidence and exposure through competition and collaboration.
The theme of this year’s festival places particular emphasis on linking education, skills and artistic production to Kenya’s creative economy.
This approach reflects growing recognition of music, performing arts and other creative disciplines as potential avenues for employment, entrepreneurship and national economic development.
TSC’s broader role in learner development
The Commission has maintained that education should go beyond academic performance by providing learners with opportunities to develop talents, values, interpersonal skills and confidence.
Music festivals, sports, drama, debates and other co-curricular activities therefore remain important platforms through which learners can discover and develop their abilities.
For participating learners, the Kenya Music Festival offers an opportunity to interact with peers from different parts of the country while appreciating Kenya’s cultural diversity.
The presence of senior education officials at the event also underscores the significance attached to co-curricular activities within the country’s education system.
As the festival continues at Kibabii University, the event is expected to provide a platform for learners and teachers to celebrate creativity while reinforcing the place of arts and cultural expression in education.
At the same time, the concerns raised by teachers online place renewed attention on operational issues within the teaching service, including timely payment of salaries and arrears, transfer opportunities and employment prospects.
For many teachers, these issues remain as important as professional recognition and opportunities to participate in national education activities.
By Enock Okongó
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