TSC Tightens Oversight on School Leadership Movements via Quarterly Submission Mandate

NAIROBI, Kenya — The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has tightened its grip on the management of school administrators, effectively pulling the authority for the transfer, deployment, and appointment of Heads and Deputy Heads of Institutions back to its headquarters.

While the Commission continues to maintain the goal of decentralized service delivery, acting CEO Eveleen Mitei has issued a clear directive: all administrative movements for institutional leaders must now receive prior, formal approval from the Commission’s Board.

The “Administrative” Block on Online Portals

This policy shift has become immediately apparent to school leaders across the country.

Headteachers, principals, and their deputies, as well as senior masters currently performing administrative duties, have found themselves barred from initiating transfer requests through the online TSC portal.

For these educators, the system now displays a status indicating that all transfers are handled administratively.

This move effectively ends the era of autonomous online applications for school leadership, centralizing the process to ensure that every change in school management is scrutinized at the highest level.

New Centralized Approval Framework

According to the circular dated August 13, 2025, which formalizes these changes, the Commission has established a rigorous, multi-tiered hierarchy to replace the previous decentralized model.

The new administrative structure operates as follows:

County Level: The County Transfer Committee (chaired by the County Director) must prepare proposals in a strict matrix format, accompanied by minutes and supporting documents.

Regional Level: Regional Directors must chair a committee to consolidate, validate, and conduct due diligence on these proposals before forwarding them to the national office.

National Level: The Director of Staffing validates these regional proposals and presents them to the Commission Secretary. The Secretary then submits them to the Field Services Committee for final deliberation and recommendation to the Commission’s Board for approval.

Key Policy Changes for Administrators

In addition to the centralization of transfer authority, the TSC circular outlines several critical mandates for those in administrative positions:

Mandatory Board Approval: No transfer, deployment, or appointment of a Head or Deputy Head of Institution—including those in acting capacities—can proceed without the Commission Board’s stamp of approval.

Strict Quarterly Timelines: Proposals must be submitted to the Director of Staffing at least one month before the start of school holidays to allow sufficient time for processing.

Acting Capacity Tenure: Teachers currently in acting or administrative roles for more than six months are required to continue in those positions until they meet the formal, prescribed qualifications for a substantive appointment.

Coordination with the Ministry: To ensure greater oversight, the Ministry of Education must now be involved in all “handing and taking over” processes, as per Regulation 70(7) of the Code of Regulations for Teachers.

Furthermore, all transfer letters will be copied to the Ministry to ensure accountability.

Why the Change?

This directive amends the previous Circular No. 1/2020, which had pioneered a more decentralized approach to teacher management.

By reclaiming this authority, the TSC appears to be aiming for higher levels of standardization and stricter adherence to its staffing policies.

For school administrators, the message is clear: the era of independent online transfer requests is over.

All management-level movements are now subject to a top-down approval process that requires meticulous documentation, strict adherence to quarterly timelines, and final clearance from the Board in Nairobi.

As the Commission continues to implement these reforms, school leaders are advised to coordinate closely with their respective County Directors, who remain the primary point of contact for navigating the new, centralized transfer matrix.