The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has unveiled sweeping reforms to the management of teacher transfers across Kenya’s 32,000 public schools, replacing the long-criticised manual system with a modern, automated, and transparent digital framework.

The new policy, according to the Commission, is designed to balance fairness with accountability, while also addressing genuine health-related requests and ensuring that teaching and learning in classrooms are not disrupted by the arbitrary movement of teachers.

For years, the transfer process has been marred by accusations of favoritism, inefficiency, and manipulation, with some educators exploiting loopholes to avoid deployment to hardship areas. The Commission now believes the digitized process will not only streamline operations but also guarantee equitable distribution of teachers across the country.

Appearing before the Senate Education Committee, TSC Director of Staffing, Antoina Lentojoni, outlined the guidelines under the new framework, stressing that oversight at the local level will play a critical role in decision-making.

“Local supervisors know the teachers better than we do at headquarters,” Lentojoni explained, highlighting the responsibility now placed on sub-county directors and school administrators to verify requests before they are processed at the national level.

One of the most sensitive areas is medical transfers. Teachers who cite health challenges must now present supporting documents from certified doctors, which will then undergo strict verification by local officials.

TSC Acting Chief Executive Officer Eveleen Mitei emphasized that the reforms were triggered by persistent cases where teachers presented falsified medical reports to secure transfers from hardship areas such as Mandera, Turkana, or Wajir.

“In harsh environments, teachers can easily obtain records, whether the illness is genuine or not,” Mitei told the Senate committee. “We have therefore introduced tighter checks, including field officers to scrutinize medical claims on the ground.”

This approach, she added, would ensure that only legitimate cases are considered, preventing abuse of the system while still safeguarding the welfare of teachers with genuine needs.