Former Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General, Wilson Sossion, has called for the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to probe the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) over alleged corruption.
Sossion, speaking on Citizen TV, claimed that during his tenure at KNUT, he witnessed extensive corruption within TSC, including bribes for employment and promotions.
Sossion alleged that new teachers are often hired without public job advertisements, with positions being secured through graft involving government officials. “To be employed as a P1 teacher, you must pay KES 350,000. For a graduate, it’s KES 500,000, and for promotions, it’s KES 150,000,” he stated. He expressed his willingness to testify in court, stressing the severity of the matter and its impact on the education sector.
He called on the DCI, EACC, and the Auditor General to investigate four key areas: the financial system and transactions, particularly third-party remittances; teacher employment practices over the past five years; promotion processes within the same period; and unconstitutional policies within TSC. Sossion warned that the corruption within TSC is so extensive that it could necessitate the dismissal of commissioners and the CEO.
This comes amidst a nationwide teachers’ strike, with educators demanding permanent employment for 46,000 Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers, promotion for 130,000 teachers, and the implementation of the second phase of the 2021/2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between TSC and KNUT.
Despite TSC’s claims of having addressed some of these demands, tensions remain high, with the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) continuing to protest for better healthcare, promotions, and permanent status for JSS teachers.
