TSC has shortlisted five candidates for the position of Secretary/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), following a competitive recruitment process that attracted 124 applications.
In a public announcement issued on Tuesday, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) named the candidates who will proceed to the interview stage, scheduled for November 16, 2026, at the commission's headquarters in Nairobi.
The five shortlisted candidates are Cheptumo Ayabei, Evaleen Jesang Mitei, Robert Odette, Lawrence Ngai Kaburu and Farah Abdi Saman.
Notably, Mitei is the current acting TSC Secretary/CEO and is seeking to secure the position on a substantive basis.
She assumed the acting role in June 2025 following the departure of former CEO Dr Nancy Macharia, whose 10-year tenure ended on June 30, 2025, after serving two five-year terms.
Before her appointment as acting CEO, Mitei served as TSC Director of Teacher Discipline Management.
She joined the commission in 1994 as a teacher before moving to its secretariat in 1999. She holds a Bachelor of Education from Moi University and a Master of Science in Human Resource Management from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.
According to the announcement, the interviews will take place at the Teachers Service Commission Building, on the third floor of the Tower, with candidates required to arrive at least 30 minutes before their scheduled interview times.
Ayabei, who is listed as a male candidate with a disability, will be interviewed at 9 am, followed by Mitei at 10 am.
Odette is scheduled to appear before the interview panel at 11 am, while Kaburu will be interviewed at noon. Saman will take the final interview slot at 1 pm.
The recruitment exercise follows an advertisement published on September 29, 2026, inviting qualified Kenyans to apply for the position of Secretary/CEO.
The application period closed on October 30 at 5 pm, with the commission receiving 124 applications.
TSC said the applications were reviewed for completeness, submission, and compliance with the requirements outlined in the advertisement.
Under the recruitment criteria, applicants were required to be Kenyan citizens, hold a degree in Education from a university recognised in Kenya and possess at least 10 years' experience in education, administration and management, public administration, human resource management or financial management.
Applicants were also required to meet the integrity requirements under Chapter Six of the Constitution.
The commission has further outlined documents that the shortlisted candidates must present during the interviews.
These include original national identity cards, academic and professional certificates, transcripts and other supporting documents and testimonials.
Candidates must also provide valid clearance documents from several government and regulatory institutions.
These include the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), a registered Credit Reference Bureau and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
For applicants holding degrees from foreign universities, the commission requires a letter recognising their qualifications from the Commission for University Education (CUE).
TSC has also invited members of the public to submit credible information concerning the shortlisted candidates as part of the recruitment process.
In the notice, the commission stated: "Members of the public are invited to avail in writing any credible information of interest in respect to any of the shortlisted candidates (through sworn Affidavits)."
Such information should be submitted to the TSC Chairperson at the commission's headquarters along Kilimanjaro Road, Upperhill, Nairobi, or through the email address [email protected].
The deadline for submitting the information is November 13, 2026.
The commission further indicated that it may interview members of the public who submit information concerning the shortlisted candidates, adding that such information will be treated confidentially.
The recruitment process is being conducted under Article 250(12) of the Constitution and Section 16(1) of the Teachers Service Commission Act, 2012, which mandate the commission to appoint its Secretary through a competitive recruitment process.
The successful candidate will take up the commission's top administrative position following the conclusion of the interviews and the appointment process.
TSC reiterated that it is an equal opportunity employer and that appointments are based on merit through fair and open competition from the widest range of eligible candidates.