Year-In-Review: Decorated handball coach Simiyu still awaits TSC employment

If Kenya’s education employment systems were fully functional, Godfrey Simiyu — a nine-time national handball champion coach — would likely already be on the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) payroll.

Simiyu, a celebrated handball tactician at Moi Girls’ Kamusinga, has guided the school to nine national titles and four East African championships, producing players who now feature for top local clubs and professional teams abroad. Despite his success and qualifications, he remains unemployed by TSC nearly a decade after certification.

Simiyu holds a Diploma in Information Communication Technology from the Technical University of Mombasa. In pursuit of a teaching career, he later earned a Diploma in Education (Computer Studies), graduating in 2015. He was issued with a TSC number (677551) in 2016, formally qualifying him to teach.

Since then, he has applied repeatedly for employment without success and continues to work under the Board of Management (BOM).

“I have been applying since 2016 without success. It’s discouraging to see colleagues I studied with get employed while I’m still waiting,” Simiyu told Citizen Digital.

Determined to strengthen his credentials, Simiyu enrolled at Kenyatta University in 2017 and graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor of Education (Arts), specializing in History and Geography. Still, employment by TSC has remained elusive.

In 2025, Moi Girls’ Kamusinga principal Joyce Malunda personally delivered Simiyu’s documents and recommendations from the school board and TSC sub-county office to TSC headquarters in Nairobi — without success.

“We were told employment is not based on achievements or recognition in sports,” Simiyu said. “I’ve applied for replacement positions and I’m waiting to see if I’ll be shortlisted.”

Malunda remains hopeful. “We have done everything required and are still waiting for feedback,” she said.

Since joining Moi Girls’ Kamusinga in 2011, Simiyu has rebuilt the school into a handball powerhouse. He led them to a national title in 2012 after a four-year drought and has since maintained their dominance, with only three national finals losses — in 2016, 2018, and 2023.

In 2023, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu announced plans to promote teachers who excelled at East African school games. However, the initiative largely benefited teachers already employed by TSC, leaving BOM teachers like Simiyu excluded.

“I only asked for employment, not promotion,” Simiyu said. “But I was told opportunities were limited to those already in the system. It was disappointing.”

Ironically, Simiyu has received multiple recognition letters and awards from TSC for his contribution to school sports.

“I’ve been recognized in 2023 and again in 2025. But recognition without employment is painful. Even colleagues ask what those letters have helped me achieve,” he said.

Kenya Secondary School Sports Association (KSSSA) chairperson Kipchumba Maiyo acknowledged Simiyu’s case and said it deserves attention.

“As chair, I can recommend him for consideration so that when opportunities arise, he is given priority,” Maiyo said, adding that the Ministry of Education works with schools to motivate outstanding sports teachers through promotions and recognition.

As 2025 comes to a close, Simiyu remains hopeful that 2026 will finally bring the employment letter he has waited for since 2016.

For many in the education and sports fraternity, his case continues to raise questions about how excellence, merit, and certification translate into opportunity within the system — and how long decorated teachers can be expected to wait.