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Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka has strongly criticized the practice of political leaders negotiating for teacher employment slots, warning that such political patronage undermines the integrity and independence of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
Speaking during a televised discussion, the lawmaker expressed deep concern over the systematic destruction of key constitutional institutions, emphasizing that public sector employment must strictly remain merit-based.
Onyonka clarified that the primary concern of critics is not merely that executive leaders are permitting politicians like National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula to acquire employment letters for jobseekers.
Instead, the core issue lies in the deliberate dismantling of an independent commission specifically established to register, recruit, and deploy qualified educators across the country.
He noted that thousands of trained teachers have fulfilled all professional requirements and are waiting in line for transparent hiring, yet their opportunities are being compromised when political figures intervene to secure slots for their preferred candidates.
The senator argued that converting teacher recruitment into a bargaining chip for political leverage creates serious inequities within the education sector.
He stressed that the Teachers Service Commission was constitutionally designed to function free from political direction, ensuring that hiring decisions are based on objective criteria such as graduation year, academic performance, and competitive interviews.
Bypassing these established statutory frameworks to hand recruitment letters directly to politicians compromises the commission’s credibility and demoralizes deserving candidates who lack political connections.
Onyonka called on the government to protect independent commissions from political interference, maintaining that public institutions must operate without executive or legislative overreach.
He concluded by insisting that qualified teachers should receive their employment letters strictly through formal, merit-driven processes managed by the commission rather than through negotiated allocations handed out by political figures.
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