KUPPET Alleges Political Interference in TSC Promotions: What Teachers Should Know.
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) says politicians are trying to influence who gets promoted in the Teachers Service Commission’s (TSC) 2026/27 promotion exercise.
Officials in Kisii alleged that some politicians were moving around with recommendation letters and lists of preferred teachers. The claims were made on Sunday, September 27, 2026. They are allegations by the union.
What KUPPET said
The union asked TSC to act as the independent commission it is under the Constitution. It wants promotions based on merit, experience and established procedures, and it warned that political interference could disadvantage qualified teachers who lack political connections.
KUPPET did not name any politician or teacher, and it did not say that any promotion had actually been influenced. Read the statement as a warning about what the union fears, not as proof that interference has happened.
Where the promotion exercise stands
The exercise is one of TSC’s largest in recent years:
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| Vacancies advertised | 34,016 promotion posts across 30 designations |
| Application deadline | August 10, 2026 |
| Phase One | Primary school teachers, concluded September 15, 2026 |
| Phase Two | Secondary teachers, TTC tutors and Curriculum Support Officers, September 17–25, 2026 |
| Re-advertised posts | 1,631 vacancies, applications closed September 14 |
Phase Two’s scheduled window has therefore ended. Teachers should not assume the whole exercise is over. The re-advertised posts are still to be handled, and results, letters and postings are still to come. Separately, TSC’s wider drive includes 20,000 post-primary recruitment posts alongside the 34,016 promotions.
How promotions are meant to be decided
TSC says it uses a standardised scoring guide so that evaluation is fair, transparent and merit-based. Reports on the 2026/27 guidelines describe marks for these areas:
- Length of stay in the current grade. Eight years or more earns the full 45 marks in the senior guide, and three years earns 20.
- Age
- TPAD performance rating
- Academic and professional qualifications
- Administrative responsibility, where applicable
- Co-curricular activities and professional contributions
Reports disagree on the detail. One says TSC introduced grade-specific scoresheets and a 1:3 shortlisting ratio. Another describes unified national sheets replacing 32 grade-specific guides. Marks also differ by grade. Check your own grade’s sheet in TSC Circular 13/2026 rather than relying on a summary.
Under a scored system, a letter from a politician has no place on the sheet. Interviewers can only award marks for the listed criteria, and the union’s concern is whether the process is applied that way in practice.
The wider context
KUPPET’s statement follows other disputes about politics and TSC:
- In August 2026, remarks by the National Assembly Speaker about TSC letters drew criticism. KUPPET’s Deputy Secretary-General Moses Nthurima said distribution of appointment letters through politicians would undermine the Commission’s independence. That dispute concerned recruitment, not promotion.
- Some teachers in Western and Rift Valley regions told reporters they saw the interviews as “a formality”, though these are perceptions and not established evidence of interference.
The union made other demands in the same reporting. It threatened to direct teachers to withdraw from 2026 national examination duties over what it calls low allowances, and it asked for an independent management framework for Junior Secondary Schools. Those claims come from the union, and I have not independently verified them here.
What teachers can do
- Keep your documents in order: TPAD records, certificates, appointment and promotion letters, and evidence of administrative and co-curricular roles.
- Check your interview score sheet. Ask the panel to explain the marks awarded if you don’t understand them.
- Report improper approaches. If anyone claims they can secure a promotion for a fee or a favour, report it to TSC and to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), and don’t pay.
- Follow official channels for results and appeals. Use TSC’s website, your TSC account and your sub-county office. Don’t rely on WhatsApp lists.
- Raise concerns with your union branch, which can take them up formally with TSC.
Frequently asked questions
Can a politician’s recommendation help me get promoted?
It shouldn’t. Promotion is scored against set criteria, and TSC is an independent commission under Article 237 of the Constitution.
Has TSC responded to the KUPPET claims?
I found no TSC statement on this specific claim at the time of writing. Check tsc.go.ke for updates.
Is the promotion exercise finished?
No. The scheduled interview phases have run their course, but the re-advertised posts, results and postings are outstanding.
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