President Uhuru Kenyatta has appointed a nine-member Teacher Service Selection panel.
In a Gazette notice dated February 22, Uhuru said the team will be tasked to select nominees for appointment as the chairperson and one member of the Teachers Service Commission.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 8 (2) of the Teachers Service Commission Act, I, Uhuru Kenyatta, President and Commander-in-chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, appoint under paragraph (a)Thomas Koyier — Chairperson for the Selection Panel,” read part of the notice.
Dr Mary Gaturu, Charles Mutinda, Njoki Kahiga, Margaret Lilan Geno and Richard Kibagendi will sit in the panel as members.
Others are Dr Hellen Misenda, Eva Nyoike and Prof Stanley Waudo.
Teachers Service Commission chairperson Lydia Nzomo’s six-year term ended on November 18 last year.
Nzomo was the first person to chair the TSC after it was made a constitutional commission. She took an oath of office in 2014.
The commission is also missing another member of the board of governance, Cleophas Tirop, who vacated office in March 2019, while the remaining six will be due to exit in March this year.
In total, the commission has nine members. With one representing each region of the defunct provinces.
Last week the Kenya National Union of Teachers- KNUT called for speedy preparation to kick start the process of replacing the officials.
“The communication is, therefore, to urge you to expedite constituting an independent and credible panel to undertake the process of appointing a TSC chair and seven commissioners,” read part of a letter by Secretary General Wilson Sossion.
The letter dated February 16 was copied to Cabinet Secretaries Margret Kobia, George Magoha and six others.
The commission was fully constituted in March 2015 following the recruitment and appointment of the chairperson and commissioners, a process that began in October 2012.
This resulted in staggered terms of officeholders with the tenure of the first three commissioners ending in 2019.
Other five members will have their terms end in March 2021.
