Early Life and Professional Foundations

Born and raised in Nyeri County, Nancy Njeri Macharia trained as a teacher before joining the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) in 1987 as a staffing officer. Over the following two decades she held progressively senior roles in human‑resource management, teacher registration, and quality assurance. 

Armed with a Bachelor of Education from Kenyatta University, a Master’s in Human‑Resource Management from the University of Nairobi, and later a PhD in Educational Administration, she cultivated a reputation for meticulous planning and firm, rules‑based leadership.

Rise to Commission Secretary/Chief Executive

In June 2015, after an open competitive recruitment process, Macharia became the first woman to serve as Commission Secretary and CEO of the TSC, succeeding Gabriel Lengoiboni. Her initial five‑year term focused on stabilising teacher payrolls, completing stalled Collective Bargaining Agreements, and installing performance‑management frameworks in public schools. In July 2020 the Commission renewed her contract for a second and final five‑year term, citing her success in streamlining operations and enhancing accountability.

Signature Achievements

1. 1.Massive Teacher Recruitment:
   Under her tenure the Commission hired over 100,000 new teachers, reducing acute staffing deficits in primary and secondary schools and injecting youthful talent into the profession.

1. 2.Collective Bargaining and Promotions:
   Two landmark CBAs delivered structured salary reviews, while the Career Progression Guidelines and an automated promotion portal lifted more than 160,000 teachers to higher job groups based on merit and appraisal scores.

1. 3.Digital Transformation:
   She championed full digitisation of teacher registration, payroll, and appraisal systems, cutting processing times, curbing fraud, and allowing educators to manage professional records online.

1. 4.Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD):
   Introduced in 2016, TPAD linked individual performance to learner outcomes, professional development, and disciplinary standards, fostering a results‑oriented culture.

1. 5.Union Relations Reform:
   By enabling online exit from unions and insisting on verifiable membership lists, the TSC rebalanced labour relations and improved payroll accuracy.

Controversies and Critique

Macharia’s assertive management style occasionally drew pushback from teachers’ unions, which argued that TPAD was burdensome and that promotions favoured certain categories. Budget constraints also limited pace of recruitment against surging student enrolment. Nonetheless, independent audits repeatedly affirmed that her reforms tightened governance and trimmed systemic leakages.

Final Chapter: Terminal Leave and Retirement

On 1 June 2025 Dr Macharia began a month‑long terminal leave, formally retiring on 30 June 2025 at the statutory age of sixty and at the conclusion of her second term. In an internal memo she thanked staff for “a solid and firm foundation built together” and urged continued commitment to the Commission’s core values. 

The TSC Board appointed Evaleen Mitei, then Deputy Director of Human Resources, as acting CEO while a competitive search for a substantive successor proceeds.

Legacy and Future Outlook

Dr Macharia leaves behind a modernised, data‑driven TSC viewed as a benchmark for public‑sector HR management in East Africa. Her successor will inherit enhanced digital infrastructure, clearer career pathways for educators, and a workforce more than twice the size it was a decade earlier.

 The immediate priorities after her departure include finalising ongoing teacher promotions, negotiating a new CBA, and expanding recruitment to match the competency‑based curriculum rollout