Famed author Maya Angelou once observed, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” As Dr. Nancy Macharia bows out as CEO of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), the overwhelming sentiment among Kenyan teachers is not one of celebration, but of quiet frustration and in some cases, outright resentment.
Appointed in June 2015, Dr. Macharia took over the reins from the relatively low-key Gabriel K. Lengoiboni, becoming the 9th CEO in TSC’s history. From the outset, her leadership style stood in stark contrast to her predecessor’s. Where Lengoiboni preferred diplomacy and consensus, Macharia ruled with the tenacity of a bureaucratic strongwoman, leaving behind a legacy that has deeply divided the teaching fraternity.
Her tenure coincided with critical years in Kenya’s educational evolution. Yet, even as teachers nationwide cried foul over stagnant wages, an escalating workload, and poor working conditions, Macharia’s reforms seemed to strike at the heart of their morale rather than lift their burdens.
One of her most controversial legacies was the emasculation of teachers’ unions. By offering incentives such as salary increments exclusive to non-union members and introducing an online platform for mass union exits, Macharia effectively rendered once-vibrant unions toothless. The automatic deduction of union dues was halted, choking the unions financially and reducing their ability to bargain. What followed was a marked decline in industrial actions less a sign of contentment, and more of resignation.
Equally contentious was the policy of delocalization. Under this model, teachers were transferred far from their home counties, purportedly to enhance national cohesion. But what it bred was hardship. The North Eastern region, plagued by insecurity, became a flashpoint. Teachers posted there begged for transfers, but instead of solutions, the TSC responded with hardline measures. Parliament eventually stepped in, shelving the policy after nationwide outcry.
Another deeply unpopular policy was the Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD) system. Designed to professionalize teaching, it instead became a bureaucratic nightmare. Teachers described it as an endless clerical burden that stole precious hours from lesson preparation and delivery. To date, it remains under review a testament to its impracticality in its original form.
Then came the Teacher Professional Development (TPD) programme. While continuing education is a commendable goal, the structure of TPD was seen as punitive. Promotions became contingent on years-long coursework, often funded by the teachers themselves. Critics viewed it as exploitative; one education consultant even took the matter to court only for the courts to side with TSC, fueling further discontent.
Adding salt to the wound was Macharia’s insistence on mandatory internships for new teachers, many of whom had already completed rigorous teacher training and teaching practice. These interns received only half a salary and were excluded from critical health insurance benefits a move many saw as demeaning and unnecessary.
Teachers in job groups B5 through C3, the non-administrative cadre felt especially sidelined. The 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement under Macharia’s watch favoured school administrators, leaving lower cadre teachers with little more than dashed hopes and an unchanged payslip. The result? A demoralized workforce, barely holding on.
Punitive transfers further marked her tenure. Teachers who voiced dissent on social media or aired grievances publicly were promptly relocated to remote stations, often as a form of retribution. Free speech within the profession became a high-risk gamble.
Even the disciplinary arm of TSC took on a ruthless edge. Teachers accused of professional misconduct were swiftly dismissed, deregistered, and named in the press, often after hearings that some allege lacked fairness. While discipline is vital, the harshness of execution left many wondering whether due process had been sacrificed at the altar of optics.
Amid the gloom, one silver lining did emerge: the introduction of the annual leave allowance. A small, but welcome, gesture that offered some financial reprieve to teachers during the holidays. Yet even this goodwill was not enough to salvage a tenure that many describe as austere and unyielding.
As Dr. Macharia exits and Eveleen Mitei steps in as acting CEO, hope flickers faintly among educators. Many are praying that her successor ushers in an era of empathy, inclusion, and practical reform. The recent spectacle of employment letters being handed out by politicians a blatant undermining of the TSC’s independence only underscores the need for a strong but sensitive hand at the commission’s helm.
For now, teachers across the country are left nursing wounds some old, some fresh inflicted during a nearly decade-long reign. Whether history will judge Dr. Macharia harshly or kindly remains to be seen. But among the rank and file of Kenya’s educators, her report card is already in: low marks, and a request for a different kind of leadership.
