The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested a secondary school teacher in Bungoma County over allegations that she asked three unemployed teachers for a total of Ksh300,000 in exchange for jobs with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

The teacher was arrested on Monday, 12 October, following preliminary investigations into complaints lodged against her, the commission said.

The allegations

According to the EACC, the accused allegedly demanded Ksh100,000 from each of the three job seekers, promising to help them secure employment in the teaching service. Investigators allegedly established that she had received Ksh150,000 of the money through M-Pesa, according to The Star and Citizen Digital.

The commission said she had presented herself as someone able to influence recruitment, claiming she "purported to have connections within TSC and other government offices," The Star reported.

Kenyans.co.ke quoted the EACC as saying the teacher was "soliciting and receiving bribes from unemployed teachers" while claiming she could secure them jobs with the commission.

Booked at Bungoma police station

After her arrest, the teacher was processed at the EACC Western Regional Office and later booked at Bungoma Police Station pending the conclusion of investigations, according to the three outlets.

The Star reported that she could face charges of requesting and receiving a bribe, contrary to Section 6 as read with Section 18 of the Anti-Bribery Act, 2016. No charges had been filed in court by the time of publication, and the allegations against her have not been tested in court.

The EACC said it "remained committed to combating corruption and promoting integrity in public service." — as reported by The Star

Rising demand for teaching jobs

The arrest comes at a time of heightened interest in teaching posts. The government has pledged to hire 20,000 more teachers by December, which would bring the number recruited since September 2022 to 120,000, according to The Star. The newspaper noted that the earlier target had been 116,000 by July 2027.

Speaking at Kasarani Gymnasium during World Teachers' Day celebrations on 5 October, President William Ruto said the TSC had advertised 34,016 promotion slots and that the annual budget for teacher promotions had doubled to Ksh2 billion, The Star reported.

Repeated warnings over fake recruitment

The TSC has issued several warnings this year over fake recruitment notices and individuals demanding money in exchange for teaching jobs, urging job seekers to rely only on its official website and social media channels.

Kenyans.co.ke listed several earlier cases. In September, the TSC flagged a fake message asking schools with junior secondary sections to pay Ksh1,000, and other schools Ksh500, for recruitment and promotion interviews. In July, three suspects were charged in Bomet with defrauding five people of Ksh500,000 each by promising them jobs with the TSC and the National Police Service. In June, the commission dismissed a fake poster claiming that 46,000 permanent and pensionable teaching vacancies had been advertised.

What next

The EACC said the teacher was booked at Bungoma Police Station pending the conclusion of its investigations. Citizen Digital reported that whether she is charged with requesting and receiving bribes will depend on the outcome of that inquiry. The TSC has advised teachers and job seekers to treat any demand for payment in exchange for recruitment as fraudulent and to follow only its official communication channels for vacancies and postings.

Photos: Gkhisa / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jlewistexas / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0