TSC will employ 36,000 teachers by end of the year. 18,000 will be on one year internship and 18,000 on permanent and pensionable (PnP) terms.
This was revealed by Tinderet MP Hon. Julius Melly who is also the Chairperson of the National Assembly’s Education Committee. Hon. Melly said the allocation of Kshs. 382.3 billion for TSC in the 2025/2026 Budget Policy Statement (BPS) is need to facilitate the recruitments.
Addressing Staffing Gaps in Schools
Hon. Melly said recruitment and promotion of teachers will help bridge existing gaps in teaching staff and career progression opportunities for educators. He also called for increased funding in the education sector, advocating for:
- Kshs. 6.3 billion for university staff Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).
- Kshs. 20.9 billion for capitation, scholarships and loans for TVET students.
- Kshs. 890 million for construction of TVET institutions in constituencies without such facilities.
Preparations for Grade 9 Transition
The upcoming transition of Grade 9 to senior school in January 2026 has necessitated early preparations to ensure adequate staffing. This mass employment exercise is expected to help alleviate the unemployment among trained teachers. Currently there are 354,234 trained teachers with certificates, diplomas and degrees who are unemployed.
Replacement and Promotion of Teachers
In addition to new recruitments, TSC has been conducting replacement exercises. In November 2024, the commission announced 8,707 replacement vacancies on permanent and pensionable terms including;
- 5,862 posts for primary schools
- 21 posts for junior schools
- 2,824 posts for secondary schools
Letters of appointment for successful candidates are being issued. 1,645 JSS intern teachers have been appointed on permanent terms in secondary schools.
Current Staffing in Junior Secondary Schools
Since 2022, TSC has employed 76,928 teachers to handle Grade 7, 8 and 9 classes. However, TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia stated that 149,350 teachers are required to fully staff junior secondary schools.
The 76,928 employed teachers are:
- 39,550 JSS teachers confirmed on permanent and pensionable terms in January 2025.
- 8,378 P1 teachers deployed to JSS over the last two years.
- 9,000 JSS teachers recruited on permanent and pensionable terms.
- 20,000 JSS intern teachers hired in January 2025 at a cost of Kshs. 4.8 billion.
TSC prioritized hiring teachers with science and technical subject specializations due to shortage of qualified teachers in these fields.
Deployment of Primary School Teachers to JSS
To further address teacher shortages, TSC will deploy 6,000 P1 teachers to JSS in April 2025. The online application process for deployment is ongoing. Since 2019, TSC has been deploying primary school teachers to JSS as a form of promotion to address stagnation among teachers with upgraded qualifications.