An activist has filed a court action seeking the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), arguing that Nancy Macharia’s term expired in February of this year due to her age.
In his appeal before High Court Judge Lawrence Mugambi, activist Francis Owino requests that the court rule that Dr Macharia’s continued leadership is illegal because she has supposedly reached retirement age.
Macharia’s term, he claims, should have expired in February of this year.
However, in the same court document, he says that Macharia’s contract as TSC CEO was renewed for another five years in July 2020.
After emerging as the best, Macharia took over the commission from Gabriel Lengoibon in 2015.
Her selection follows the conclusion of a competitive recruitment process that began on May 1, 2015, when the position was announced and drew 69 candidates, four of whom were shortlisted.
She became the commission’s first female CEO since its creation.
After the first term, the commission extended it through 2020. In this case, Owino has enlisted the help of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, as well as the teachers’ employer. The activist claims that Macharia’s tenure was illegally extended.
Owino reports that on February 16, this year, the Ministry of Public Service, Gender and Affirmative Action Cabinet met.
Simultaneously, he is seeking an order prohibiting Macharia from further overseeing the commission.