TSC transfers all non-local teachers from Garissa over insecurity

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has transferred all non-local teachers from Garissa County over insecurity fears.

The transfers of those in Mandera and Wajir counties are being processed, the TSC's head of communication, Beatrice Wababu, said on Monday.

Ms Wababu did not specify the number of teachers who have been moved due to frequent attacks by terror group Al-Shabaab.

CELEBRATIONS

At the TSC headquarters in Nairobi on Monday, teachers celebrated receiving transfer letters from the commission's officials, saying it signalled a fresh start in their careers.

“We cannot tell the exact number since they have been coming in small groups to collect the letters. We will know tomorrow," Ms Wababu said.

She said the decision on the transfer of teachers in Mandera and Wajir counties will be made Tuesday.

“They are worried. We have allowed them to stay out of their work stations since they indicated their houses had been marked for possible attacks,” the official said.

The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) on Monday welcomed the move, saying their safety is crucial.

“We cannot have teachers working in fear. Such teachers cannot deliver,” said Kuppet Secretary-General Akelo Misori.

SOFT TARGETS

Teachers in Northeastern Kenya have been soft targets of terror attacks, with many killed by Al-Shabaab militants since 2018.

There was a mass exodus of teachers from the region that year after the terrorists attacked Qarsa Primary School in Wajir East and killed three people including two teachers.

The attack almost brought education in the county to its knees as several schools were closed due to lack of teachers.

In January, Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary-General Wilson Sossion called on Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha to convene a meeting to discuss the security of teachers following a terror attack in Garissa.