Teachers Service Commission chairperson Lydia Nzomo's six-year term ends today.
Nzomo was the first person to chair the TSC after it was made a constitutional commission. She took the oath of office in 2014.
The commission was fully constituted in March 2015 following the recruitment and appointment of the chairperson and commissioners, a process that began in October 2012.
This resulted in staggered terms of office holders; the tenure of the first three commissioners ended in 2019. Other five members will have their terms end in March 2021.
Nzomo will take credit for key policies for Career Progression Guidelines for teachers that were launched in November 2017. The guidelines replaced the schemes of service. They, however, remain a subject of controversy following opposition by some stakeholders.
Other reforms in the teaching service during her tenure include the rollout of performance contracting for institutional heads and the Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development tools.
She also oversaw the signing and implementation of the first collective bargaining agreement with the teachers' unions, putting to rest long and recurring industrial actions that had engulfed the sector.
During her reign, the TSC also employed strong-arm tactics, especially in dealing with critical stakeholders such as the Kenya National Union of Teachers.
Nzomo previously worked for the TSC, rising through the ranks to the position of acting CEO. She served as a council member of various agencies, including Jomo Kenyatta Foundation, the Kenya Institute of Special Education, Kenya Education Management Institute, Kenya National Examinations Council, School Equipment Production Unit and Kenya Methodist University.
She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology from Kenyatta University, Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology from United States International University (USIU), a Bachelor of Arts and Diploma in Education option from the University of Nairobi.
