President William Ruto's Senior Economic Advisor Moses Kuria has hit out at politicians who have resorted to “parading” teachers’ employment forms in public events.
In a statement on Tuesday, Kuria described the politicisation of the hiring as a “great idea on how to destroy a nation”.
“There are several great ideas on how best to destroy a nation. But the most glittering of recent times is politicians parading teachers' employment forms in public rallies and funerals,” he said.
“It's so sad, especially for us, the products of great teachers. We have sunk this low, sadly.”
On Sunday, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) condemned the alleged involvement of politicians in the recruitment of teachers.
KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu claimed that deserving and long-serving teachers have been unfairly locked out of employment opportunities due to interference by political actors.
Speaking during a press briefing, Oyuu faulted the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for what he termed as surrendering its mandate and sidelining deserving candidates.
“Never in the history of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) have we seen what is happening now. The TSC should work and operate within its mandate. The manner in which employment forms are being distributed by some politicians leaves much to be desired,” he said.
Oyuu said it is wrong that there has been discrimination and teachers who have served for a number of years remain overlooked and without formal employment.
“You must be fair and human. The idea of picking a teacher who completed college in 2023 while leaving out the one who finished teacher training in 2010 raises more questions than it answers,” he said.
“Be human. We have teachers who are over 50 years old who are not employed. They are out there. Where do you want them to go? They must be employed.”
Oyuu emphasised that the TSC must prioritise both the year of graduation and the age of applicants during recruitment, warning that bypassing older candidates is unjust and demoralising.
He commended President William Ruto for pushing for teacher employment but urged him to ensure the recruitment is executed with fairness.
“We cannot object to the executive powers of the president of this country to employ teachers. We want to thank him. But how these forms are distributed by some politicians leaves a lot to be desired. Yes, you can assist through TSC, but you must be fair and human,” Oyuu said.
Earlier in the month, TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia dismissed allegations of dishing out employment letters to politicians as media speculation, saying her office has lived by the principles of recruitment.
“I read this in newspapers. It is giving TSC a bad name since we are the ones mandated to recruit teachers,” Macharia said.
She was responding to concerns by lawmakers at the committee on Constitutional Implementation led by Runyenjes MP Eric Muchangi, alias Karemba, that prominent people were picking employment letters from TSC.
“We have seen Cabinet secretaries with TSC employment letters at funerals and churches. This doesn’t augur well with the nation,” the MP said.
“We are setting a bad precedent and we have to bring the controversial practice to an end. It is incumbent upon all of us to deal with this problem as a country,” Runyenjes MP Eric Karemba said.
