MPs to Meet TSC to Address Fate of 129 Interdicted Teachers
Members of Parliament are scheduled to meet with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) the following week to discuss the situation of 129 teachers who were placed on interdiction after they declined to return to their teaching duties in North Eastern due to security concerns. During a hearing of a petition by the affected teachers on Thursday, October 19 at County Hall in Nairobi, Tinderet MP Julius Melly, who chairs the National Assembly Committee on Education, announced this meeting. He emphasized that the meeting aims to seek a resolution to the impasse, as the teachers have requested transfers and pledged not to return to an area susceptible to terrorist attacks.
Mr. Melly highlighted that when individuals feel insecure, they shouldn’t be interdicted but instead listened to. He also mentioned engaging with leaders from the affected region who expressed support for the teachers. While a mass transfer of approximately 3,200 non-local teachers was ruled out, Mr. Melly suggested that those most at risk should be relocated.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has stated that the security situation in Garissa, Wajir, and Mandera counties has improved, urging teachers to return to their work stations.
During the meeting with the MPs, the teachers expressed that they are targeted due to not being from the region and face discrimination based on their ethnic and religious backgrounds. They have indicated their willingness to work in any region of the country. They appealed to the committee for assistance in revoking their interdiction letters, reinstating their incomes, and facilitating their transfers.
The terrorist organization Al-Shabaab, which remains active along the border with Somalia and in the mentioned counties, is responsible for the attacks. It was reported that teachers in some areas contributed funds to compensate National Police Reservists for protection. The teachers also presented medical documentation indicating that some of them have developed mental health problems.
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The government has claimed to take necessary measures to enhance security in the region, and the Education Cabinet Secretary encouraged teachers to return to their duties. However, the teachers emphasized that non-local teachers in remote rural areas are most affected and that building owners are reluctant to rent them space due to concerns about militant attacks.
An attached intelligence report indicated that non-local instructors were a target of the militants. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has declined some transfer requests, citing a lack of suitable replacements, and has set deadlines for teachers to return to their workstations.
Teachers have petitioned Parliament for transfers out of the region, stating their lives are in danger, and some have received interdiction letters. Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu announced plans to hire more instructors in the North Eastern region to provide quality education to students, with the goal of making the region self-sufficient in teachers due to the expansion of local training institutions.
MPs to Meet TSC to Address Fate of 129 Interdicted Teachers
