Economy

Uhuru nominates Lydia Nzomo for TSC chair

DNEDUCATION1010N

Professor Lydia Nzomo has been appointed TSC chair by President Uhuru Kenyatta. PHOTO | ANTHONY OMUYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

President Uhuru Kenyatta has nominated Dr Lydia Nzomo to be the chairperson of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). Mr Kenyatta asked Parliament to approve the nominee for appointment.

The Education Committee then recommended the rejection of the President nominees Albert Ekirapa, Jacinta Kapiyo, William Mwita Makubo, James Muthuri Nkoroi and Mwijuma Mwinyipembe as members of the TSC.

Mr Magochi had been rejected when former President Mwai Kibaki picked him to head the teachers’ employer. The MPs rejected the nominees saying they lacked a mix of professionals with all the nominees having a background in education and did not include special interest groups.

READ: Delay over PSC nominees as PM 'not consulted'

Yesterday, Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi informed MPs that he had received a message from President Kenyatta.

“The message was submitted by way of a letter addressed to my office for submission to this House. In the message, His Excellency the President conveys that, in exercise of powers conferred to him by Section 8 of the Teachers Service Commission Act, 2012, he nominates Dr Lydia Nzomo, PhD, to the chairperson of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC),” Muturi said in the communication to MPs.

“His Excellency the President therefore seeks the approval of this House on the nominee for appointment to the aforementioned position,” Mr Muturi said.

Upon receipt of the notification of nomination for appointment, Mr Muturi said Standing Order 45 requires that such nomination shall stand committed to the relevant departmental committee.

“Pursuant to the provision of the said Standing Order therefore and paragraph (3) of Standing Order 42, I hereby refer the message form the President to the departmental committee on Education, Research and Technology to undertake the necessary approval hearings,” he said.

Section 8 of the Teachers Service Commission requires the National Assembly to either approve or reject the nominee to the positions within 21 days.

“In this regard, I wish to guide that the committee should notify the nominee and the general public of the time and place for holding the approval hearings, in good time. The notification should therefore be made on October 30 (today) and that the committee may thereafter commence the necessary hearings from November 6 and submit their report to this House on or before November 13, 2014,” Mr Muturi said.