Most Preferred Regions By Teachers Seeking Transfers

By Getrude Mathayo / Published March 22, 2023 | 10:01 am

KEY POINTS

Kajiado County is one of the most preferred counties after receiving 237 transfer requests for teachers in secondary schools against 94 who requested to be transferred out of the county. For primary school teachers, 486 applied to work in the county against 434 who asked to be taken elsewhere.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1,885 teachers applied to be transferred to the capital city against 76 who requested to be transferred out of Nairobi during the period. However, only 41 of the requests out of 1,162 to primary schools and four to secondary schools out of 723 had been approved by the end of January.

According to the official data from the Teachers Service Commission, TSC, Nairobi City County is the most preferred region by teachers seeking transfers following a move by the government to implement the delocalization policy.

Between November 1^st, 2022, and January 31^st, 2023, nationally, 36,277 teachers applied for transfers, according to data submitted by the TSC to the Senate Committee on Education. Of these transfer requests, 14,733 were matched and approved while 21,544 are pending.

Additionally, 45 primary school teachers left the capital while only one secondary school teacher left. According to the report, the highest number of primary school teachers (1,336) applied to be transferred to Bungoma County but also 1,074 others want to be transferred out of the county.

The deal to reverse the delocalization policy is contained in principle in the non-monetary collective bargaining agreement (CBA) teachers unions signed with the TSC. The issue also became a campaign topic with the Kenya Kwanza Alliance promising to abolish it once they took power.

In 2018, the transfer of teachers who were considered to have “over-stayed” at the same workstation started and saw thousands of teachers transferred, drawing condemnation by teachers’ unions, who claimed the policy had disrupted teachers’ lives.

The data also reveals Kajiado County is one of the most preferred counties after receiving 237 transfer requests for teachers in secondary schools against 94 who requested to be transferred out of the county. For primary school teachers, 486 applied to work in the county against 434 who asked to be taken elsewhere.

“The transfer of teachers from one institution to another is based on the need for equitable distribution and optimal utilization of teachers, availability of vacancies in the station, the need for replacement, existing staffing norms and medical grounds certified by a registered medical practitioner,” reads the document signed by Mr. Cavin Anyuor, the director for legal, labor and industrial relations, on behalf of CEO Nancy Macharia.

The document was in response to questions on delocalization by Embu Senator Alexander Mundigi who demanded to know the breakdown of the teachers transferred in and out of Embu County. TSC data showed1,157 teachers applied to be deployed in the county while 357 others wanted to work elsewhere. Of these, 229 have already left the county and 244 others brought in.

TSC CEO Nancy Macharia said that other requests are pending approval. She further explained that, before approving a transfer, TSC ensures that the station a teacher is leaving has a suitable replacement and that there is a vacancy in the preferred station.