By Ongaga Ongaga
A teachers’ union has commended the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) for promoting stagnated officers without requiring interviews or vacancy declarations.
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) also urged the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to follow suit and promote teachers who have stalled in the same job groups for as many as ten years.
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KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori described TSC’s promotion policies as “lip service,” noting that many teachers have been stuck in the same grade since 2009 or 2011, despite earning advanced degrees and demonstrating consistent service.
“The TSC should be ashamed for subjecting teachers to four or five interviews for the same position,” Misori stated, contrasting the Commission’s approach with the police service’s more progressive stance.
The union’s frustration comes despite recent announcements by TSC of a new automatic promotion policy for teachers in lower job groups.
Under this policy, teachers in Grades B5, C1, and C2 will be promoted every three years based on performance, without undergoing competitive interviews.
However, KUPPET argues that this reform does little to address the plight of teachers in higher grades—particularly those in Scales C3 and C5, formerly Job Groups L and M—who continue to face bureaucratic hurdles and delayed recognition.
While the TSC has allocated Ksh1 billion for promotions under the new Ksh33 billion Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed in July, KUPPET insists that the Commission must go further.
The union plans to submit a list of teachers who have stagnated for over 10 years and demand their immediate promotion.
“We must empower our educators, not frustrate them,” Misori emphasized.
