Parliament Probes TSC Over Non-Payment of Allowances to 99,000 Acting Teachers.
Members of the National Assembly’s Parliamentary Committee on Education have expressed concern over the failure to pay allowances to over 99,000 teachers currently serving in acting capacities. Despite budgetary provisions to cover these payments, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has not disbursed the funds, according to the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET).
During a recent stakeholder engagement on the Teachers Service Commission (Amendment Bill), 2024, KUPPET Secretary General Omboko Milemba criticized the TSC for neglecting its duty to compensate acting teachers. He emphasized that the affected educators were being unfairly burdened and that the commission’s inaction was exacerbating their hardship.
The proposed amendment bill, brought forward by Mandera South MP Abdul Haro, seeks to compel the TSC to pay special allowances to teachers temporarily assigned higher roles. The bill has faced opposition from several government agencies, including the Public Service Commission (PSC), Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), Kenya Law Reform Commission (KLRC), the State Law Office, and the Auditor General.
Nonetheless, Milemba strongly defended the bill. He said the legislation is necessary to rectify a systemic issue within the education sector and to ensure fair compensation for extra duties. He insisted that the number of acting teachers had grown significantly, yet they continued to serve without the allowances due to them.
“Thousands of teachers are out there acting in various capacities and are not being paid their allowances. The number of teachers in acting positions has grown significantly over the years,” Milemba stated during the forum. He added that TSC had failed to compensate educators for their additional responsibilities, and that KUPPET supports the bill to ensure affected teachers receive the support they deserve.
Chairman of the Education Committee, Julius Melly (Tinderet), questioned the necessity of introducing new legislation. He indicated that the problem stemmed from the TSC’s failure to fulfill its mandate in filling vacant positions. Melly pointed out that if the TSC had acted efficiently, such a bill would not be needed.
He challenged the commission’s actions, demanding answers on why teachers had been left in acting roles without pay despite the availability of budgeted funds. Melly remarked that the bill appeared to be a last resort in response to administrative lapses at the TSC.
Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera echoed these sentiments and called for full transparency. He urged the TSC to provide comprehensive data on the exact number of teachers affected, the amount of money disbursed so far, and the balance still owed. He maintained that only with complete disclosure could the issue be fully addressed.
In a joint response, the TSC, KLRC, Attorney General’s office, and PSC rejected the proposed amendment, arguing that necessary changes could be achieved through policy reform rather than through legislation. They maintained that the Education sector is undergoing broad reforms, and that any proposed legal amendments should be deferred until those changes are complete.
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Allan Sitima, Senior Deputy Director of Legal Services at TSC, explained that the commission believes the amendment should be held back in anticipation of forthcoming educational reforms. He said that the issues raised could be managed within the current legal and regulatory framework, without resorting to legislative changes.
Despite this resistance, several MPs and union officials stood firm in support of the bill, asserting that the welfare of teachers should take priority over bureaucratic delay.
Parliament Probes TSC Over Non-Payment of Allowances to 99,000 Acting Teachers.