Teachers have renewed calls for the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to halt transfers under its delocalisation policy, arguing that the continued movement of educators away from their home counties is causing prolonged family separation and financial hardship. The concerns follow reports that some teachers have recently received transfer letters requiring them to report to schools outside their home counties, despite the Commission having previously announced a review and relaxation of the policy.

Affected teachers say the latest transfers have revived uncertainty over a policy that many believed had been largely phased out. They argue that educators who have served for years away from their families are once again being required to relocate, disrupting established family arrangements and increasing the cost of living.

Introduced in 2018, the delocalisation policy required school principals, head teachers and their deputies to serve outside their counties of origin. The Teachers Service Commission said the initiative was intended to strengthen professionalism, promote national cohesion, reduce conflicts of interest and minimise local interference in the management of public schools.

However, the policy has remained one of the most contested reforms in Kenya’s education sector, drawing sustained opposition from teachers and their unions, who have argued that administrative objectives should be balanced with employee welfare.

Teachers opposing the continued transfers say the policy has forced many families to live apart for extended periods, with some educators maintaining separate households while meeting family responsibilities in different counties. Others cite increased accommodation, transport and living expenses, as well as challenges in caring for children, elderly parents and family members with medical needs.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) have consistently urged the Commission to fully abandon compulsory delocalisation, arguing that deployment decisions should take greater account of family circumstances, compassionate grounds and individual welfare.

The unions maintain that while teacher deployment remains necessary to address staffing needs, transfers should be implemented on a case-by-case basis rather than through broad administrative policies affecting large numbers of teachers.

In 2022, the Teachers Service Commission announced that it had begun reviewing the policy and allowed teachers serving outside their home counties to apply for transfers based on medical conditions, family circumstances and other compassionate grounds. Thousands of teachers have since been redeployed closer to their preferred stations, although the process has not covered all affected educators.

Despite those changes, some teachers now claim the recent transfers suggest elements of the policy continue to be implemented. They say the new postings have affected teachers who had expected to remain in their current stations after the Commission indicated it was easing the programme.

The Teachers Service Commission has maintained that teacher transfers are undertaken in accordance with the law and guided by operational requirements, staffing needs, promotions, security considerations, medical circumstances and requests submitted by individual teachers. The Commission has also stated that balancing teacher distribution across schools remains essential to ensuring equitable access to education nationwide.

The renewed concerns come as public schools continue implementing reforms under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum, which has increased demand for qualified teachers across different regions. The Commission has continued to redistribute teachers to address staffing imbalances while seeking to ensure schools have adequate personnel to support learning.

The debate highlights the continuing challenge of balancing equitable deployment of teachers with employee welfare. While TSC is constitutionally mandated to assign teachers where they are needed, unions and affected educators continue to call for transfer decisions that place greater emphasis on family stability, personal circumstances and voluntary deployment wherever practicable.

As discussions over the future of the delocalisation policy continue, teachers’ unions are expected to maintain pressure on the Commission to provide greater clarity on transfer guidelines and ensure that future deployments reflect both institutional requirements and the welfare of educators.