A fresh dispute is brewing in Kenya’s education sector following renewed complaints from teachers over the continued implementation of the controversial teacher transfer policy.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has strongly opposed the policy, terming it illegal after Parliament nullified it. The union has vowed not to allow its enforcement by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
According to KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu, the commission has been secretly implementing the transfer policy by relocating teachers to unfamiliar regions, a move he says has caused distress and disrupted the social and professional stability of educators.
Oyuu warned that if the transfers continue, the move could negatively impact national examination results, arguing that such policies undermine teachers’ welfare and morale.
He made the remarks in Kapsabet, Nandi County, during an end-of-year meeting that brought together teachers from Chesumei and Nandi Central sub-counties.
The union now wants the TSC to fully halt the transfers and engage stakeholders in reviewing policies that promote fairness and protect the social well-being of teachers.