Three Tribes Represents Almost Half of TSC Employed Teachers – Report
New data has revealed that half of the 346,760 tutors on the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) payroll in the country are from only three ethnic communities, indicating disparities in the education system.
According to the data presented to the National Assembly committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunities, the Kalenjin community has the highest number of employees at 59,538, followed by the Kikuyu community with 59,010 and the Luhya community with 52,882.
These three communities make up a total of 171,430 teachers, which is almost half of the TSC workforce. The data further reveals that the Luo community has 40,657 teachers, Kamba has 39,807, Kisii has 30,317, and Meru has 22,164.
The Mijikenda community has 8,745 teachers, followed by the Embu community with 5,700, Maasai with 5,245, Taita with 3,248, Pokot with 3,138, Samburu with 1,438, Turkana with 1,358, and Tharaka and Borana with 1,295 and 1,200 respectively.
When the data was presented, committee chair Adan Haji Yussuf asked TSC Secretary Nancy Macharia to explain the ethnic disparities in employment.
Fair Competition
Macharia defended the commission, saying that members of some ethnic communities, especially those in far-flung parts of the country, have demonstrated apathy for recruitment.
She also blamed the National Assembly’s Education committee, saying it was partly responsible for the huge imbalance in the ethnic distribution of teachers by pushing for the revision in the mode of employment.
Macharia insisted that TSC had embraced fair competition and merit as the basis for appointments and promotions by advertising for vacant positions in its staff establishment, conducting employment interviews, selecting and appointing staff while adhering to requirements for a workforce with a national outlook.
Despite the TSC’s efforts, the ethnic disparities in employment remain a cause for concern, as they reflect an unequal distribution of resources and opportunities in the country’s education sector.
Three Tribes Represents Almost Half of TSC Employed Teachers – Report
