How Wetang’ula’s State House teacher letters have sparked fresh hiring row

Teacher unions have raised alarm over claims that politicians receive Teachers Service Commission (TSC) employment letters from State House to distribute to their constituents, saying the practice threatens merit-based recruitment.

The controversy followed remarks by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, who disclosed that some Members of Parliament accompany him to State House and receive teacher appointment letters for people in their constituencies.

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His comments have triggered renewed questions about the independence of the TSC, a constitutional commission mandated to recruit and employ teachers, amid a fresh recruitment drive for 20,000 permanent and pensionable junior school teachers.

“There are some MPs whom I take to the president, and they are given as many as 10 teachers’ employment letters. Yet, you later hear that they have been selling those letters. If someone is struggling, for instance if you are a night nurse, as that mother said, and you are asked to pay Sh400,000 to secure a teacher’s employment letter for your child, where will you get that kind of money? That is immoral, and we cannot accept such leadership,” Mr Wetang’ula said.

Teacher unions question political influence

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Deputy Secretary-General Moses Nthurima described the disclosure as deeply troubling, arguing that political involvement in teacher recruitment could undermine the constitutional independence of the commission.

“Wetang’ula is a lawyer and knows the status of the commission under our Constitution. When he says that MPs are getting letters from the TSC to dish out, sell or distribute them to their cronies and relatives, I think that is very unfortunate,” Mr Nthurima said.

He questioned what happens to teachers who have followed the official recruitment process, including applying for advertised positions, attending interviews and meeting the required qualifications.

“The TSC has a recruitment policy. Those who graduated earlier and get higher marks in the interviews are supposed to have an advantage over those who graduated later. But if appointment letters are being given to politicians to distribute to their cronies and relatives, then what happens to those teachers who have followed the proper process? These people do not respect the independence of the commission,” he added.

Nthurima said independent commissions were established under the Constitution to protect public institutions from political direction and interference.

“Merit is one of the values in our Constitution. When we take our children through interviews, which is how we bring the best out of them. But if this continues, it will be very unfortunate for Kenyans because it will reach a point where, if you do not know an MP, then you cannot be employed as a teacher,” Mr Nthurima said.

“TSC cannot be directed by the Executive. If they subject themselves to politicians, then they have surrendered their authority to manage TSC,” he added.

Fresh claims revive old concerns

The latest controversy is not the first time claims of political involvement in the distribution of teacher appointment letters have emerged.

Last year, Murang’a Woman Representative Betty Maina claimed that MPs aligned with the government had been invited to State House and given teacher employment letters to distribute in their constituencies.

“We were called to State House, and I will say it openly. We were given letters for the employment of teachers. I went with 11 MPs from Kiambu, and each was given 20 letters, totalling 220 letters,” Ms Maina said.

Her remarks added to longstanding concerns among unemployed teachers who have spent years seeking positions through TSC recruitment exercises.

The issue also surfaced in the Senate in July 2024, shortly after the Gen Z protests, when Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna linked youth frustration over unemployment to perceived political patronage in public service hiring.

“When it comes to employment in public service, we have seen young people who qualify as teachers waiting all their lives to be employed, then you see leaders in public rallies and funerals, handing and dishing out employment letters from the TSC,” Mr Sifuna said.

The renewed debate comes at a sensitive time for thousands of trained teachers competing for a limited number of vacancies.

Unions demand protection of merit

Kethawa National Secretary Ndung’u Wangenye said Wetang’ula’s remarks had given weight to concerns that teachers’ recruitment was being influenced by politicians.

“We have been saying that MPs are interfering and trying to influence the employment of teachers, but now this is a confirmation from the Speaker of the National Assembly,” said Mr Wangenye.

He said the disclosure should prompt authorities to examine how employment decisions are made and whether the TSC is operating independently.

“Where does that leave our teachers who are not employed? What about those who have no connections to the MPs? You have teachers who have gone through the proper process, sat for interviews and met the requirements, but they are left out because they do not have political connections. That is not fair,” he added.

Kuppet National Chairman Omboko Milemba also rejected any attempt to employ teachers outside the established TSC recruitment framework.

“We condemn, as a union, any action of trying to employ teachers outside the TSC. We, as a union, do not support that. We want teachers to be employed through the TSC because that is the commission mandated to recruit and employ teachers,” said Kuppet National Chairman Omboko Milemba.

He said political interference would be unfair to thousands of qualified teachers who compete for the limited vacancies advertised by the commission.

Knut Deputy Secretary-General Hesbon Otieno said the allegations had become too serious to ignore, particularly because they involve senior government officials.

“It is even more serious considering that this is coming from one of the country’s highest constitutional offices and is touching on the very highest office,” he said.

Otieno said some teachers have repeatedly applied for employment without success despite meeting the requirements, while others could allegedly gain opportunities through political connections.

“There are people who have applied not once, not twice, not five times, even 10 times, and they deserve to get the opportunity, but they are not getting it. Then you have other people getting the chance through connections,” Mr Otieno said.

TSC defends recruitment process

The TSC has defended its recruitment process, maintaining that teacher hiring is conducted competitively and in accordance with the Constitution and the law.

Acting TSC Chief Executive Officer Evaleen Mitei made the remarks while appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education, amid heightened scrutiny of the commission’s recruitment procedures.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba also addressed the issue, saying the government would work with TSC to tackle the alleged sale of employment letters.

Ogamba described the selling of appointment letters as criminal activity and said greater transparency in recruitment data could help identify weaknesses and strengthen fairness and equity.

The controversy now puts renewed attention on the TSC’s recruitment system as thousands of teachers seek positions through the latest 20,000-vacancy recruitment exercise.

For unions, the central question is whether every qualified teacher will have an equal opportunity to secure employment, regardless of political connections.

For the commission and government, the allegations present a challenge to demonstrate that recruitment remains independent, transparent and firmly anchored in merit.