- Kaptich Tarus argues teachers should not permanently lose their careers for seeking elective political office.
- He says former teachers in Parliament and county leadership demonstrate educators’ capacity for effective public leadership.
- A structured leave framework, he argues, could protect TSC neutrality while preserving teachers’ democratic aspirations.
Teachers are an important pillar of Kenyan society. They educate our children, shape future leaders, build communities and, in many cases, serve as trusted advisers and role models. It is therefore time for the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to rethink the requirement that teachers seeking elective political office must leave the teaching service rather than being granted a structured period of leave.
Kenyan teachers have demonstrated unparalleled ability to lead. Their contribution to national and county leadership is not merely theoretical; the country’s political history provides numerous examples of teachers who have successfully transitioned from the classroom to Parliament, county governments and other positions of influence.
The teaching profession naturally develops qualities that are essential in political leadership: communication, organisation, patience, conflict resolution, public engagement and the ability to understand the needs of ordinary citizens.
Kenya’s political history strongly demonstrates this.
Mutahi Kahiga, a former teacher and trade unionist, became Governor of Nyeri County. He began teaching in 1980 and later entered county leadership, eventually serving as governor.
Kahiga’s teaching background is well established. He worked as a primary school teacher for more than three decades before moving into politics and also served as an executive secretary of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT).
Stanley Kiptis, a career educationist and former KNUT leader, served as Governor of Baringo County from 2017 to 2022. His career demonstrates how experience in teaching and teachers’ representation can translate into county leadership.
Official records describe Kiptis as a career educationist and trade unionist who served as KNUT Eldama Ravine Executive Secretary between 2001 and 2017 before becoming Baringo Governor.
The National Assembly has also had numerous leaders with teaching backgrounds. Jeremiah Omboko Milemba, for example, served as a TSC teacher and later became KUPPET national chairman before entering Parliament as the MP for Emuhaya.
Parliamentary records show Milemba served as a TSC teacher from 1993 to 2003 and later rose through KUPPET, becoming national chairman in 2010 before entering Parliament in 2017.
Catherine Nanjala Wambilianga, who served as a teacher under TSC and later held a leadership position in KUPPET, went on to become a Member of Parliament representing Bungoma County.
Wambilianga’s parliamentary profile records that she served under TSC from 1989 before moving into KUPPET leadership and subsequently Parliament.
Jackson Lekumontare Lentoijoni also served as a TSC headteacher for many years before becoming a Member of Parliament for Samburu East. Parliamentary records confirm that he served as a TSC headteacher between 1996 and 2012 before entering other public-service and political roles.
These are only some examples. Kenya’s political landscape has repeatedly demonstrated that the classroom can be an excellent training ground for public leadership.
Why force teachers to resign?
Against this background, it is worth asking why a teacher who wishes to seek an elective seat should be required to permanently abandon the teaching profession.
This requirement is not merely a TSC administrative practice. Regulation 187 of the Code of Regulations for Teachers provides that a teacher employed by the Commission who intends to contest for political office shall resign or retire from service in accordance with the regulations, the Elections Act or other written law.
The TSC Code of Conduct and Ethics for Teachers similarly requires teachers to maintain political neutrality and prohibits political activity that could compromise the dignity or neutrality of their office. It states that a teacher intending to contest an election must “retire or resign from service at least six months before the date of election.”
Resignation is a drastic decision. A teacher may spend decades acquiring professional experience, developing expertise and serving learners, only to be required to sever that career because they have decided to offer themselves for public service.
A better approach would be to allow such teachers to take special political leave.
The teacher would leave the classroom and all official teaching duties before engaging in active political campaigns. They would not use school facilities, students, government resources or their position as teachers for political purposes.
This would preserve the political neutrality of the teaching service while giving teachers an opportunity to participate in democratic leadership.
What happens if the teacher loses?
This is perhaps the strongest argument for reconsidering the current approach.
Imagine a teacher who has served faithfully for 15 or 20 years, decides to contest for an elective seat, resigns, loses the election and then discovers that returning to the teaching profession is no longer straightforward.
The country would have lost an experienced teacher simply because that teacher attempted to serve the public.
A structured leave arrangement could solve this problem. A teacher who is unsuccessful could return to the classroom under clearly defined conditions. A teacher who wins could remain away from active teaching for the duration of the political mandate.
Teachers lead classrooms, departments, schools, professional associations and communities. They manage diverse personalities, resolve disputes, mentor young people and communicate with parents and communities.
The success of former teachers in Parliament and county governments demonstrates that these leadership skills are transferable.
Indeed, the examples of Governors Mutahi Kahiga and Stanley Kiptis, alongside numerous teacher-turned-MPs, demonstrate that Kenya has already benefited from teachers who ventured into political leadership.
The teaching profession should therefore not be viewed merely as a career confined to the classroom. It is also a profession that prepares people for responsible leadership.
A balanced policy is possible
TSC could introduce a clear special-leave framework for teachers seeking elective office. Such a policy could require the teacher to apply for political leave within a prescribed period and cease teaching and official duties before active campaigning.
It could strictly prohibit the use of school resources or students for political campaigns, protect confidential school and learner information, provide clear rules governing return to the teaching service after an unsuccessful campaign and require teachers elected to public office to remain away from active teaching for the duration of their mandate.
Such safeguards would protect the integrity of the teaching profession without unnecessarily destroying the careers of teachers who aspire to serve the country in another capacity.
However, introducing such a framework would require more than an ordinary administrative decision by TSC. Because the current regulations expressly require resignation or retirement, the relevant legal and regulatory provisions would first have to be reviewed and amended.
Kenyan teachers have already demonstrated that they possess the knowledge, discipline, courage and leadership skills required to serve at the highest levels of government.
From governors such as Mutahi Kahiga and Stanley Kiptis to MPs such as Jeremiah Milemba, Catherine Wambilianga and Jackson Lentoijoni, the record speaks for itself.
The question, therefore, is not whether teachers are capable of leadership. They have already proved it.
The question is whether Kenya should continue forcing teachers to choose between their profession and their democratic ambition.
TSC should consider replacing compulsory resignation with a structured special-leave system for teachers seeking elective political seats.
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A teacher should be allowed to step out of the classroom to serve the nation—and, where appropriate, to return to the classroom after that service.
Let us not lose experienced teachers simply because they have the courage to seek another form of public service.
By Kaptich Tarus
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