Members of the National Assembly have urged the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to introduce affirmative action measures to address the plight of more than 39,000 registered teachers aged 45 and above who remain jobless.
Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Education, TSC Acting CEO Evaleen Mitei revealed that, as of June 2025, the Commission had records of 39,017 unemployed teachers in this age group. However, only 2,837 of them had provided full information on their counties and sub-counties of residence.
“The Commission regrets that out of the 39,017 teachers, only 2,837 provided full location data,” said Mitei. “This limits our ability to accurately assess their regional distribution.”
The remarks came in response to a request from Soy MP David Kiplagat, who had asked for detailed data and proposed a policy to prioritise the hiring of older teachers.
“You’ve said you don’t have the budget to hire everyone, but surely, something can be done for those who have waited this long,” said Kiplagat.
“Let us have affirmative action and compel TSC to come up with a framework to absorb teachers aged 45 and above.”
Committee Chairperson Julius Melly instructed the Commission to return to Parliament within two weeks with a revised and complete register showing the distribution of these teachers by county and sub-county.
“Before counties, we had districts. These districts became counties. So it’s possible to give us this information,” Melly said. “We need a comprehensive and cleaned-up register.”
Adding to the concerns, MP Dick Maungu criticised the quality of the current teacher register. “Do you clean your registers like IEBC cleans the voter register? Why can’t you update yours?”
According to data presented by TSC, only 13 teachers aged 45 and above were employed in Uasin Gishu County in the 2024/2025 financial year, out of 516 recruited nationally.
Mitei explained that TSC uses a merit-based recruitment system that awards more points to older applicants and those who graduated earlier.
“We acknowledge the feedback on affirmative action and will consult our board,” she said. “While these teachers are not employed by TSC, many could be working in private schools or other sectors.”
Cavin Anyour, TSC’s Legal Director, noted that some of the data gaps stem from teachers who registered before the county system was introduced. “Many of them registered when only districts existed, so location data was not captured,” he said.
MP Joshua Makilap proposed that TSC collect complete personal data in future recruitment exercises to improve planning and ensure fairness in hiring.
The Commission also cited a 2019 court ruling in the Suyianka Lempaa v TSC & Another case, which declared age restrictions in teacher hiring unconstitutional, prompting the scrapping of the 45-year age limit.
Mitei said TSC had since adjusted its recruitment guidelines. “We’ve enhanced our scoring system to favour older applicants, and we use age as a tie-breaker. We are also pushing for a bigger budget to hire more teachers.”
She also advised that the government support market-driven teacher training programmes to better align training with employment opportunities.
Despite the Commission’s assurances, MPs insisted that more must be done to ensure older, qualified teachers are not overlooked.
“We are not just asking for numbers. We are asking for solutions that restore dignity to teachers who have waited for decades,” said Chairperson Melly.
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