The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has launched the search for a new chief executive that will replace Nancy Macharia whose term ended last year.
In a September 29 notice, the Commission says the application will remain open until October 30 by close of business. The job details are on the agency’s website.
Serving as the head of the TSC Secretariat and accounting officer, the TSC chief executive is a top government official who is responsible for keeping records of the Commission and executing decisions affecting hundreds of thousands of teachers.
Eveleen Mitei has been acting since June last year after Dr Macharia ran two full terms of five years each at the helm of the agency.
The CEO position announcement comes barely a month after two new commissioners joined the agency. Wilson Sossion, a former Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) sectary-general and Antonina Lentoijoni, a former employee of the agency, became the newest commissioners for a term of six years.
The search for a new CEO will be one of the first key roles for Mr Sossion and Ms Lentoijoni as the new bosses. Dr Jamleck Kamau chairs the TSC board.
While the TSC is an independent government institution, its CEO and chairman are among the most influential officers who juggle various challenges, including politics, especially on the employment and disciplining of teachers.
In August, there was outrage when National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula claimed that MPs collect teacher employment letters at State House, but end up selling them at about Sh400,000 per letter. The TSC denied the claims, saying the issuance of employment is the work the Commission.
It is, therefore, expected that this is one of the positions that will attract candidates with impressive track records and see fierce jostling and lobbying partly with the perks that come with the role.
According to the job advert, applicants must have at least 10 years of experience in education, administration and management, public administration, HR management or financial management.
They must also meet the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution of Kenya that details the ethical standards needed for various key positions in government.
The successful candidate will serve for five years and will be eligible for reappointment for one a term, the TSC said in the advert.
Ms Mitei, the acting CEO, joined the TSC in 1999 after teaching for five years. Holding a Master’s in HR and a Bachelor of Education from Moi University, she has worked at the Commission in various roles, including staffing officer, HR management and development officer, and teacher discipline director.
According to the job notice, the CEO position at TSC is paid a gross monthly salary of Sh698,600 and a retinue of allowances.
Among others, the executive will receive an annual leave allowance of Sh50,000, an official vehicle with an engine capacity not exceeding 3,000cc, family medical cover, and a gratuity equivalent to 31 per cent of the annual pensionable pay for the term served.
The position comes with a car loan of up to Sh6 million and a mortgage facility of up to Sh30 million charged at three percent per annum, one of the lowest rates on the market.
The mortgage facility has a maximum repayment period of 20 years, while the car loan runs for five. The officer will also receive daily subsistence allowance (well-known among civil servants as DSA) for local and foreign travel at rates reviewed and set by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.
It also comes with official security plans that are converted into a cash benefit.
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