Wilson Sossion Denies Appointment As TSC CEO

Former nominated Member of Parliament Wilson Sossion has rubbished reports claiming that he has been appointed as Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The former Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General in a statement on Thursday, November 11 termed the reports as fake while explaining how the qualified candidate for the highly coveted position is decided upon.

“My attention has been drawn to social media fake reporting that I have been appointed TSC CEO. This is not true.

Wilson Sossion talks with President William Ruto. /FACEBOOK

"TSC CEO is appointed through competitive advertising when a vacancy arises. Please ignore such rumours,” Sossion wrote.

Sossion was rumoured to replace Nancy Macharia in the position, but Macharia's term was extended in 2020 by five years and will last until 2025.

How TSC CEO Is Recruited

According to Section 8(1) of the TSC Act, whenever a vacancy occurs in the commission, it must declare the vacancy by publishing a notice in the Gazette and appointing a panel to select qualified individuals to serve as the commission’s chairperson or members.

According to the TSC act, the President must appoint a chairperson to lead the selection committee. The panel will also include the Attorney General, as well as the Cabinet Secretaries in charge of Education and Public Service or a representative of each of the three officers.

The Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) will front one candidate, and the teachers’ unions will put forth two candidates, a man and a woman, for the panel.

The selection panel will also include a nominee from the Private Schools Association and a well-known educationist who has been appointed by the Education Cabinet Secretary.

The panel then conducts interviews with those who made the shortlist before recommending qualified candidates to the president for appointment.

Sossion has been a fan of President William Ruto and his administration ever since he dumped the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) which had nominated him to Parliament to represent the workers.

Through the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket, he vied for the Bomet Senatorial seat in the August 2022 elections but lost.

During the polls, he slammed the Azimo la Umoja One Kenya Coalition party for demonising Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati over the elections. 

"Trying to demonise Chebukati at Bomas was the biggest tragic mistake by Azimio; the Supreme Court ruling in 2017 made it very clear that the results at the polling station shall be final, so the presidential election ended at the polling station," Sossion said.

He referred to the Supreme Court order in 2017 which compelled the IEBC to capture everything in Form 34A and upload it to its portal for every Kenyan to access; over 46,000 documents of Form 34A.

A collage of Teachers Service Commission Chief Executive Officer, Nancy Macharia and Wilson Sossion. /FILE