Senate rejects teacher transfers

Non-local teachers in Northeastern suffered a setback yesterday when senators declined to support their demand for transfers over te...

Non-local teachers in Northeastern suffered a setback yesterday when senators declined to support their demand for transfers over

terrorist threats.

A joint Senate committee is investigating and will make recommendations. The committee is considering a teachers’ petition to be transferred. Their employer, the TSC, already has transferred some teachers.

Yesterday senators said students would be denied education if the TSC allows mass transfers.

Next week the Education Committee and the National Security Committee will question Education ministry officials, the TCS and teachers’ unions officials. Representatives of petitioners and Northeastern leaders be called.

Non-local teachers have been camping in Nairobi since February to pressure the TSC to move them to safe areas or home counties.

“We cannot divide Kenya into tribes where villagers work where they were born, Nominated Senator Mary Seneta said. “We cannot allow non-local teachers to be kicked out.”

Teachers Fredrick Nyango and Rhoda Karemi had petitioned the Senate. “We’ve done our best to have this addressed by relevant authorities. We did not get a satisfactory response,” they said.

Al Shabaab terrorists usually target non-locals, including teachers, in Mandera, Wajir and Garissa counties. Some teachers left after the terrorists raided Qarsa Primary School in Wajir in February, killed three teachers, the wife of one of them and wounded one teacher.

Petitioners have urged the Kenya National Union of Teachers and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers to call on the government to withdraw them from Northeastern.
In February the TSC transferred non-local teachers in Wajir following the attack.

The move angered some leaders in the region. They asked the TSC to fast-track mass transfers and replace the teachers with locals.

“What if residents of Pokot, Turkana and Baringo do the same? What will happen? Muslim teachers should be able to teach in a non-Muslim school comfortably and vice versa for Christian teachers,” Senator Seneta said.

Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula warned that localising teachers or public servants is a threat to the spirit of nationhood.

“We recommend the state build boarding schools, housing for teachers and adequate security,” Wetang’ula said.

Senator Haji (Wajir), chair of the Security committee, said al Shabaab will succeed in dividing Kenyans if the state allows mass transfer of non-locals.

“Insecurity should be resolved once and for all. The people suffering are Kenyans,” he said.

The Education committee is chaired by Christopher Langat. Also present were Senators Sam Ongeri (Kisii) and Margaret Kamar (Uasin Gishu) among others.