KNUT union leaders ,Nairobi branch addresses the media in Nairobi as they demand the revocation of mass teacher transfers to Kitui County on September 3, 2025.
By Peace Muthoka.
Nairobi, September 3, 2025 – The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has raised alarm over what it terms as punitive and insensitive transfers of more than 150 Nairobi teachers to Kitui County.
KNUT Secretary General – Nairobi branch, Mugwe Macharia said the move has disrupted teachers’ lives and gone against the Kenya Kwanza government’s earlier promise to end the controversial delocalization policy.
“We are here because Nairobi teachers have been delocalized to Kitui County. Over 156 teachers, including 53 headteachers, 43 deputies, 35 deputy principals, and 26 principals, have all been moved to one county,” Macharia told journalists in Nairobi.
He criticized the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for targeting elderly teachers nearing retirement, saying many of those transferred are between 58 and 59 years old, with barely three months left before retirement.
“These teachers have served the nation for over 30 years. Forcing them to move away from their families at the twilight of their careers is both inhuman and insensitive,” he said.
Macharia further noted that the transfers had already taken a toll on teachers’ health, with some developing high blood pressure and mental distress. He questioned why the TSC had established a mental health department yet continued to enforce decisions that harmed teachers’ wellbeing.
KNUT issued three demands to the TSC: revoke the transfers to Kitui County, address the stagnation of teachers who have not been promoted for more than 10 years, and increase the number of administrators in Nairobi schools, which face soaring enrollments of over 4,000 students in some institutions.
“The punitive promotions and transfers must stop. Teachers deserve dignity, fairness, and recognition for their service, not punishment at the end of their careers,” Macharia emphasized.
The union vowed to continue pressing for dialogue until the teachers’ grievances are addressed.
