Despite President William Ruto’s directive abolishing the controversial delocalisation policy, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has retained a transfer requirement in its new promotion guidelines. According to the commission, no school head will be allowed to serve in their home county or remain in the same school for more than nine years.
This policy has reignited tensions between teachers and their employer. Many see the guidelines as a disguised continuation of delocalisation, which the government had promised to end following public outcry. KNUT deputy secretary-general Hesbon Otieno noted that promotions have increasingly become punitive, with teachers transferred far from families or moved from hardship areas where they lose allowances.
“For instance, a teacher enjoying a hardship allowance of Sh10,000 can be promoted and transferred to an area where they lose it, effectively reducing their pay. That is unfair,” Otieno said.
The TSC, however, insists the policy is designed to improve accountability and performance. Deployment decisions will be guided by performance contracts, annual appraisals, and the need to rotate administrators.
The continued enforcement of transfer rules has now become a flashpoint between unions and TSC, with many teachers warning that promotions tied to relocation could demoralize the workforce.
