The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has issued a warning about a scam involving fraudsters selling fake TSC employment letters and registration certificates to unsuspecting job seekers.
In a statement, the commission said the conmen are charging hefty sums for the fake documents.
“We wish to alert all aspiring teachers and members of the public about the growing threat posed by conmen purporting to sell TSC employment letters and registration papers. Please be warned that these papers are FAKE”, the commission warned.
It stressed that recruitment into the teaching profession is conducted solely through its official channels, advising job seekers to verify any job openings. TSC maintained that it stands firmly on the principles of integrity, fairness, transparency and merit.
“These individuals prey on your ambitions and exploit your trust, charging hefty sums for documents that hold no legitimacy. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) stands firmly on the principles of integrity, fairness, transparency and merit.
It called for safeguarding the credibility of the education system and honouring the noble teaching profession.
“Report suspicious activity immediately to law enforcement or TSC authorities. We all have a role to play in safeguarding the credibility of our education system. Let’s honour the noble teaching profession,” it stated.
TSC Announces Internships: The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced the availability of 20,000 intern teacher positions for both Junior Secondary Schools (18,000) and Primary Schools (2,000).
According to the commission’s job advert, the interns will be distributed across 47 counties, with Kitui County receiving the highest allocation of 758 intern teachers.
Those placed in primary schools will receive a monthly stipend of Ksh15,000, while those in Junior Secondary Schools will receive Ksh20,000.
The internship period will be 12 months for the financial year 2023/2024. The program aims to provide unemployed registered teachers with mentorship, coaching, and practical teaching experience.
TSC Announces Internships: How To Apply
To apply, interested candidates must make online applications through the official website tsc.go.ke under the Careers tab or visit teachersonline.tsc.go.ke. Manual submissions will not be considered.
Requirements for Junior Secondary School interns include being a Kenyan citizen, holding at least a Diploma in Education with a minimum mean Grade of C+ in two teaching subjects in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KSCE) or its equivalent, and being a registered teacher with the Teachers Service Commission.
Requirements for primary school teacher interns include being a Kenyan citizen, holding a PI certificate, and being registered with TSC. Candidates with an Upgrade Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (CBC) have an advantage.
Successful candidates must have Personal Accident Insurance to cover personal risks during the internship period.
Required documents include copies of the Teacher Registration Certificate from the TSC online portal, National Identity Card or passport, National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) card, Kenya Revenue Authority Personal Identification Number (KRA PIN), and two coloured passport-size photos.
Candidates with disabilities should attach a copy of the National Council for Persons with Disability (NCPWD) where applicable.
Will the process be fair?
TSC emphasizes that the recruitment process is free and fair, and urges applicants to report any fraudulent activity to the nearest TSC office, Teachers Service Commission headquarters, or the nearest police station.
And again, On Monday, a Nairobi-based Employment and Labour Court nullified a notice that TSC Boss Nancy Macharia had gazetted— in November this year—deregistering embattled KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion as a teacher and banning him from any teaching profession countrywide.
“Pursuant to section 30 of the TSC Act, the Commission has removed the name of the individual named hereunder (Sossion) from the Register of Teachers. Further, under the law, the individual cannot engage in teaching in any school,” read the gazette notice.
Justice Stephen Radido while delivering the ruling at the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Nairobi stated that TSC notice has been set aside and issued a conservatory order reinstating the expunged KNUT boss back to the teacher’s register.
Funny enough, Timon Oyucho, the head of a legal team that was representing TSC and Nancy Macharia said that his clients want to expunge the name of Ms. Macharia from the case.
A move that saw the ageing lawyer Paul Muite, who was representing Wilson Sossion, rant out in court. Lawyer Muite said that the genesis of problems in the TSC is individual because of Nancy Macharia.
Kenyans on Twitter have thrown TCS CEO Nancy Macharia in a furnace and she, according to KOT, she’s next on the line of the cut, drop and terminate culture she has employed.
This comes after the TSC boss issued KNUT with a termination notice of the recognition agreement with the teachers Union.
In the letter, TSC boss Nancy Macharia had notified the National Labour Board that KNUT had plummeted below the number of members as noted in their 51 years agreement.
“The Kenya National Union of Teachers does not have the simple majority of unionise employees under the employment of the Teachers Service Commission as at November 4, 2019,” reads part the letter as quoted by local media.
This is happening just days after TSC boss Nancy Macharia de-registered KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion from the teaching fraternity. The termination of ODM nominated MP was gazetted by the embattled Nancy Macharia meaning that Sossion will no longer be recognized as a teacher or teach in any school.
Here are randomly sampled tweets about the melee between TSC and the Teachers union, KNUT.
Dear Nancy Macharia Chief Ececutive Officer Teachers Service Commission
Always remember, you are a public servant with no security of tenure. Your retirement or arrest whichever comes first is always around the corner. Don’t let power get into your head. Don’t abuse power.
Teachers Service Commission @TSC_KE is a odious, authoritarian and cruel anti-teachers Institution. It's leadership led by CEO Nancy Macharia is nothing but state repression enforcer TOOL. Teachers, you either stand together OR you be hanged separately. REJECT TYRANNY!
We are teachers and we know that Nancy Macharia does not make decisions without consulting the commissioners. Sossion fought for the teachers, but; when he joined parliament as an ODM legislature things changed. How do you negotiate with an arrogant unionist who is in opposition?
This WOMAN (Mrs Macharia) has DESTROYED innocent teachers…she personifies the CAPTURE of independent constitutional commission by the executive. pic.twitter.com/CpO3AMSdtH
Sad.She has outdone bureaucrats in the MoE during Moi era.She acts with impunity that is Jubilee.Whoever is behind her is powerful n hates teachers.She has killed the noble profession.Then some wonders y learners no longer act as in the past.Teaches don't care.They're demotivated
Nancy Macharia thinks she is immortal and a supremo at TSC. You have over stepped your mandate.We shall invoke the spirits of famous unionist like Tom Mboya and you will walk naked on these streets.
Teachers Service Commission and specifically Dr. Nancy Macharia is now being too toxic on its relationship with KNUT.
Unions hold an important place in society. Relationship with employers is partnership. Partners disagree from time to time but that relationship cant be killed. pic.twitter.com/NRn4d590Ad
The TSC is terminating its' 51-year-old agreement with the Kenya National Union of Teachers, citing shrinking membership.Dr Nancy Macharia, this is like divorcing your husband / wife of 51 years because they no longer look youthful! Get serious!😬😬😬😬 pic.twitter.com/K3vS3CPHQj
Why is TSC CEO Nancy Macharia so ill-bent on de-registering Wilson Sossion as a teacher? Kenya has over 500,000 teachers & most of them dabble in politics & moonlight in other jobs …. Did Sossion eat Macharia’s goat or moved her cheese? Sossion should fight this discrimination.
Sammy Muthui, chief operating officer at AoN Kenya Insurance Brokers
Aon Insurance Brokers struck a deal with Teachers Service Commission last year for medical cover on its staff valued at Sh 5.6 billion AON Minet, and the scandalous deal was surrounded with bribery claims which led to a court suit to have it terminated. It emerged that the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) were duped after some of its members were lured by a 10 per cent kickback from the deal.
Details emerged that some Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and Knut were involved in hammering out the multi-billion deal were more concerned with the kickback that translated to approximately Sh500 million, that would accrue after the deal was finalised. The deal was tailored by Sossion and party.
It doesn’t make sense why TSC the employer had to bring on board KNUT in negotiating the deal, perhaps a ploy to oil shoulders of vital bodies to avoid repulsion. While the tender was advertised, the parties involved had already identified AoN Brokers who offered a good incentive.
The matter was brought to the attention of Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission after anti-graft Director of Investigation Abdi Mohamud demanded copies of various documents from TSC to launch investigations into allegations of procurement irregularities in the award for tender to AON.
Among the records needed was the list of bidders, approved budget, minutes of the tender committee, payment vouchers and tender advertisements. In 2014, TSC boss Gabriel Lengoibon, with the outspoken fire-chewing Knut secretary general Wilson Sossion, allegedly secretly sourced for AoN Minet for the cover. In a bid to conceal, it is claimed, they invited officials of Knut to discuss the matter with Kuppet being kept in the dark of the goings on. It is compelling to note, Sossion was on National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) board that issued contracts to dubious clinics that caused a stir in public time back.
KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion
A new storm is brewing as AoN is hell bent to retain the medical cover deal with the commission since their current tie, expires, sleuths talking to Kenya Insights say, the Brokering Company has resorted to using every means in store to ensure that it clinches the Sh15 billion teachers medical cover scheme for a period of three years.
A manager at Pioneer Insurance Company( tendering for the contract with teachers) as we learn from source visited the Teachers Service Commission Evaluation Committee in Nakuru where they were having consultative meetings and parted with Sh1 million for each of the six members as the bribe.
The evaluation committee had been stationed in Nakuru county between July 28-31 only for the said AoN’s agent to arrive and part with Sh6 million in what could be described as trying to play dirty with Kenya’s largest workforce of 250,000 teachers. This was after AoN Insurance realised that Clarkson Insurance had quoted Sh14 billion for three years as opposed to AoN’s Sh15.3 billion. Liaison Insurance put a figure of Sh17.7 billion.
The quotation by Clarkson has caused sleepless nights to AoN forcing it to use crooked means to retain the lucrative medical scheme for teachers which it had earlier signed for a one year in the period 2015/16. The committee is currently divided and at loggerheads on whether to declare Clarkson the winner or AoN Insurance. AoN’s had during the initial contract with TSC signed a Sh5.6 billion contract.
A good umber of teachers who’ve contacted Kenya Insights on this issue says the AoN cover was the force down their throats and have lodged serious complaints. They complain of delays in the processing of payments to health facilities, leading to loss of valuable teaching time, thus adversely affecting innocent students in their respective schools whenever teachers go for outpatient services in AON Minet-accredited health facilities.
Kenya Insights has its eyes all over this deal and will be keen to see the directions it takes and how things play out. With 10% tradition in tendering at the back of mind, we will tell you the developments as we have our spies planted in all the corridors on this deal.
