The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has suspended the countrywide teacher promotion interviews for teachers that was scheduled to start on Monday next week.
The interviews for primary school teachers from job group C1 to C4 was planned to start from 4th to 15th December 2023 in various sub-counties.
However following the serious el nino enhanced rains witnessed in various parts of the country and which continues to pound the Commission has decided to suspend the exercise.
It is not clear when the interviews will resume but this largely depends on the status of the rains which the met says will continue to January.
So far thirty-six counties out of the forty seven in the country have been affected by the rains.
Kenya’s National El Niño Steering Committee says floods have killed a total of 120 people, with Tana River, Garissa, Wajir and Mandera counties worst hit.
Addressing the media Principal Secretary, Ministry of Internal Security and National Administration Dr Raymond Omollo announced that Isiolo, Kwale, Homabay, Makueni, Tharaka Nithi, Lamu, Taita Taveta, Meru and Kisumu were on high alert.
“From October to date, 120 people have unfortunately died and their families duly informed. Nine bodies were retrieved in Mombasa while four bodies were recovered from Lake Victoria. 89,098 households have been displaced and are being hosted in 112 camps established in affected counties. Through our search and rescue efforts, 2,058 people have been assisted and undergoing medical checkups at the camps set up,” announced Dr Omollo.
The rains have blocked some regions which are now not accessible by roads which have been destroyed.
Many teachers are yet to be issued with text messages by their TSC sub-county offices informing them of the suspension of this exercise.
The promotion interviews were aimed to fill 36,505 promotion vacancies which were advertised in September this year.
It was to start with C1 teachers who will compete to fill 10,819 slots for Senior Teacher II (C2) position for regular schools and 700 slots for special schools.
The Commission listed the following items to be presented during the December promotion interviews.
1) Original National ID Card
2) Original Academic and Professional Certificates
3) Letter of appointment to the current Grade
4) Letter of appointment to the current post (where applicable)
5) Analysed individual subject results in KCPE/KCSE Examinations for the last three years, certified by TSC County Directors/Sub County Directors.
6) Performance Appraisal Reports for 2020, 2021, and 2022
7) Any other relevant testimonials supporting your performance
Around one hundred and fifty thousand primary and secondary school teachers were shortlisted and were issued with interview letters to compete for the 36,505 vacancies.
Secondary school teachers were to have their interviews next year. It was to run from 3rd to 16th January 2024.
C2 teachers will fight to fill 3,040 slots for Senior Teacher I (C3) for regular primary schools and 346 slots for special schools.
C3 teachers will scramble to fill 1,930 slots for Deputy Headteacher II (C4) position for regular primary schools.
Deputy Headteachers in C4 will wrestle to fill 1,049 Headteacher position in C5 for regular primary schools and 30 for special schools.
This interview will be one of a kind with a record number of teachers ever to get shortlisted for promotion by TSC.
It will also be the first time to have such interviews for promotion of school administrators done in sub-counties.