Teachers Service Commission (TSC) nominee Wilson Sossion has pledged to prioritise teachers’ welfare and address key challenges facing educators if approved by Parliament, while assuring MPs that his previous role as Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) secretary-general will not compromise his independence.
Sossion appeared before Parliament on Thursday for vetting, where he said his experience as a teachers’ union leader had given him a deeper understanding of the challenges facing teachers and how to engage the government in finding solutions.
He said his previous advocacy did not seek to undermine the TSC but rather to strengthen the commission and ensure it had the resources needed to support teachers.
“I was not pulling down the commission, but I was building the commission.”
Sossion cited his advocacy in 2011 for the employment of teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, saying his engagement with the National Treasury helped secure funding for the programme.
He said the efforts contributed to the availability of Sh2.4 billion, as well as an additional Sh1.4 billion annually for teacher recruitment.
The former KNUT official also defended his push for better salaries for teachers, saying competitive pay was necessary to attract and retain motivated, ethical and highly qualified educators.
Sossion said his role would change if appointed to the TSC, moving from advocating for teachers from the union side to implementing policies and decisions adopted by the commission.
“I am not going to be a disrupter within. I will seek to continue implementing the policies that are agreed within the commission that benefit the teachers of Kenya.”
He further pledged to defend the commission while maintaining constructive engagement with teachers and other stakeholders in the education sector.
Among the issues he said he would prioritise is the delay in payment of pension benefits to retired teachers.
Sossion told MPs that teachers remain among public servants who often wait for extended periods before receiving their retirement benefits. If appointed, he said he would push for pension payments to be processed and released promptly.
“Teachers must be promptly paid their pension. It is not a difficult thing.”
He said Kenya had made progress through various pension reforms, including the expansion of NSSF coverage, but maintained that more needed to be done to ensure retirees receive their benefits on time.
Sossion assured MPs that his loyalty would remain with both the commission and teachers, saying the two sides should not be viewed as being in conflict.
“I am not going to betray the commission, neither am I going to betray the teachers of Kenya.”
His vetting comes as Parliament considers whether to approve him for a position on the commission, with his experience in teachers’ union leadership likely to remain a key focus of the process.
