Fresh questions have emerged over how teachers secure government jobs after National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula said some MPs receive teacher appointment letters at State House for distribution to their constituents.
The disclosure has angered teacher unions, which now want the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) recruitment system protected from political influence and say qualified applicants could be losing opportunities to those with powerful connections.
The controversy comes as TSC has advertised 20,000 permanent and pensionable positions for junior schools, putting the commission's recruitment process under close attention.
Officials from the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) and Kenya Teachers in Hardship and Arid Areas Welfare Association (Kethawa) said the claims point to a system where political links could determine who gets hired.
Wetang'ula made the remarks over the weekend while speaking about cases where MPs allegedly receive several teacher employment letters before passing them on to people in their constituencies.
He said some politicians had taken advantage of desperate job seekers by selling the opportunities instead of giving them out fairly.
"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," Wetang'ula said.
His remarks have brought back earlier claims that politicians considered close to the government have been given teacher appointment letters for use in their constituencies.
Last year, Murang'a Woman Representative Betty Maina said MPs supporting the government had received letters that they could distribute to people seeking teaching jobs.
"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," Maina said.
The concern had also featured in Senate proceedings in 2024. On July 3, 2024, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna said young people without jobs were frustrated by what they viewed as political influence in public service recruitment.
"When it comes to employment in publio service, we have seen young people who quality as teachers waiting all their life to be employed, then you see leaders in public rallies and funerals, handing and dishing out employment letters from the TSC," Sifuna said.
Teacher unions said the latest disclosure was particularly disturbing because many trained teachers have spent years waiting for vacancies while competing for a small number of positions.
Kuppet Deputy Secretary-General Moses Nthurima said the comments were a serious concern because TSC is constitutionally established as an independent 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," Nthurima said.
He said TSC has an established recruitment system that considers factors such as when a teacher graduated and performance during interviews.
"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 created by the Constitution so they can perform their duties without being controlled by political leaders or the Executive.
He warned that allowing politicians to influence recruitment could make teacher employment dependent on personal connections instead of qualifications.
"Merit is one of the values in our Constitution. When we take our children through interviews, that 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," 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.
Kethawa National Secretary Ndung'u Wangenye said the unions had raised concerns about political interference before, but the Speaker's remarks had given the issue fresh weight.
"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," Wangenye said.
He said the claims should prompt a closer look at how TSC protects its independence and selects successful applicants.
"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 said the recruitment of teachers should remain within the hands of TSC and follow the commission's established process.
"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," Milemba said.
He said political involvement would put thousands of unemployed teachers at a disadvantage as they compete for limited vacancies.
Knut Deputy Secretary-General Hesbon Otieno said the allegations deserved attention because they came from one of the country's senior constitutional offices and involved the highest levels of government.
"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 may have been repeatedly overlooked despite meeting the requirements because other applicants could be benefiting from political links.
"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" Otieno said.
TSC has rejected suggestions that its recruitment is not based on a fair process.
Acting CEO Evaleen Mitei said the commission follows the law and its published recruitment rules when selecting teachers.
"The recruitment of teachers by the Teachers Service Commission is conducted in a fair and competitive manner as required by the Constitution and the law. The exercise is conducted at the Sub County level after vacancies have been formally declared and Recruitment Guidelines which provides for the selection criteria developed and published."
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the government would work with TSC to deal with cases where employment letters are sold.
While answering questions in the Senate, Ogamba described the sale of teacher appointment letters as a criminal activity and said the recruitment process needed greater openness.
He said making recruitment data more transparent would help expose gaps in the system while supporting fairness and equal treatment of applicants.