NAIROBI, Kenya -The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has appointed Eveleen Mitei as Acting Chief Executive Officer following the departure of Nancy Macharia, who proceeded on terminal leave earlier this month ahead of her official retirement on June 30, 2025.
Mitei, currently Director of Teacher Discipline Management at the Commission, has been with TSC since 1994, starting her career as a teacher before joining the Secretariat in 1999.
Over the years, she has risen through various leadership roles, including Staffing Officer, Human Resource Management and Development Officer, and Discipline Officer.
Holding a Master of Science degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Manchester and a Bachelor of Education from Moi University, Mitei is among five senior officials viewed as potential successors to Macharia.
Macharia announced her departure in an internal memo dated June 1, informing staff that she had begun her terminal leave and urged them to support Mitei during the transitional period.
“I am proceeding on terminal leave with effect from today, June 1, 2025, pending my retirement from the Teachers Service Commission after serving the Commission in various capacities,” the memo read in part. “The Commission has appointed Ms. Evelyn Mitei to act as the Commission Secretary/CEO pending the appointment of my successor.”
The leadership change comes amidst legal uncertainty, as the recruitment process for the next TSC CEO faces a court challenge.
The Labour and Employment Court in Mombasa issued interim orders suspending the recruitment following a petition by Mombasa resident Thomas Mosomi Oyugi.
Oyugi’s petition questions the constitutionality and procedural propriety of the recruitment, specifically raising concerns that the vacancy was not officially declared before advertisement and that the 21-day application window (May 6 to May 27, 2025) was inadequate.
The petition also challenges Section 16(2) of the TSC Act, which restricts eligibility for the CEO role to candidates who hold a degree in education from a recognised Kenyan university, have at least 10 years’ experience in education or public administration, and meet Chapter Six constitutional requirements.
Oyugi argues that limiting the CEO role to education degree holders may unjustly exclude qualified candidates from other professional backgrounds, potentially contravening principles of equitable access to public office.
Justice Ocharo Kebira certified the petition as urgent and ordered that the status quo regarding the recruitment process as of May 27, 2025, be maintained until the case is heard on June 9, 2025.
