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KNUT tells TSC: name the social-media abuses, not a blanket ban

By Wanjiku Njeri 3 min read
KNUT tells TSC: name the social-media abuses, not a blanket ban

Key points

  • KNUT SG Collins Oyuu, speaking in Bomet, asked TSC to specify illegal social-media misuse rather than issue a blanket warning.
  • TSC on 13 August 2026 warned teachers against cyberbullying, harassment and offensive online content.
  • Acting CEO Evaleen Mitei said the 2015 Code of Conduct (clauses 10, 12 and 24) applies online and discipline can follow the TSC Act.
  • First vice-chair Malel Langat called the circular a grey-area risk of “gagging” teachers as schools get tablets.

“Don’t make your statement so blanket. Be specific about what you condemn, and also take time to talk about what you support.” Kenya National Union of Teachers secretary-general Collins Oyuu said that in Bomet as TSC’s 13 August social-media warning landed, Eastleigh Voice reported.

The Commission said online misconduct cases were rising and reminded teachers that dignity and integrity apply on digital platforms as much as in class. Oyuu, speaking at an event handing assistive mobility devices to teachers and students with disabilities, said the wording should separate legitimate use — teaching, sharing classroom practice, even entertainment on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, X and WhatsApp — from breaches of cybercrime law. He called KNUT a professional union whose leaders should model conduct, and warned that posts stay as a digital record on and off duty. First vice national chair Malel Langat said the digital space is a grey area as schools receive tablets and computers, and that the circular must not roll back constitutional gains. Acting CEO Evaleen Mitei said professional standards apply online, that cyberbullying and other unprofessional conduct can trigger discipline under the Teachers Service Commission Act and the Code of Regulations, and pointed teachers to Clauses 10, 12 and 24 of the 2015 Code of Conduct and Ethics, plus the duty to protect children’s rights.

A circular is not a charge sheet

Until TSC publishes the case types behind the “rise in misconduct,” teachers will hear a gag and the Commission will hear a reminder. Named examples — and what is still allowed for lesson clips — would end the argument faster than another presser.

Education desk: Education. Verified Oyuu/Langat/Mitei remarks, 13 August circular date and Code clauses from Eastleigh Voice.

TSC should issue a one-page do/don’t annex. KNUT should table the classroom-use cases it wants protected so the next circular cannot be read as a silence order.

County directors should brief heads before the first teacher is interdicted over a WhatsApp status.

Readers should cross-check any deadline, fee, court date or programme claim against primary gazettes, agency circulars and court records before acting on this report.

Official gazettes, court rulings and agency circulars may update these facts after publication; readers should verify any deadline, fee or court date against primary sources before acting.

Based on Eastleigh Voice reporting of KNUT’s Bomet remarks and TSC’s circular. Disciplinary outcomes depend on individual files.