Students walk on the streets of Elburgon town in Nakuru County as they head home for the midterm break on June 21, 2025.
Public learning institutions are grappling with a shortage of teachers that stands at 98,461, with junior schools being the hardest hit with a shortage of 72,422, outgoing Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Chief Executive Nancy Macharia has said.
However, she added that the government is determined to address the challenge. In her final public address before exiting TSC on Monday, Mrs Macharia said the government has set aside Sh2.4 billion in the 2025/26 financial year to hire 20,000 intern teachers.
“This will bring the total number recruited since late 2022 to 96,000,” she said during the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (Kessha) conference in Mombasa on Thursday.
She added that Treasury has set aside Sh1 billion for teacher promotions.
“This is in addition to the more than 25,000 who have been upgraded this financial year. I urge those qualified to apply for the promotions. I also thank the government for these allocations to the TSC,” she said.
Mrs Macharia urged principals to ensure the admission of the first Competency Based Education (CBE) cohort to Senior School in January is seamless.
“Fortunately, TSC has been allocated close to Sh1 billion for retooling Senior School teachers on CBE,” she said.
Mrs Macharia thanked the principals for their support during her 10 years at the helm of the commission.
Transfers and promotion
“There is a time for everything. I leave the TSC with pride and head held high,” she added.
Kessha chairman, Willy Kuria, highlighted Mrs Macharia’s successes, namely timely payment of salaries and digital transformation following the introduction of online services, including teacher registration, transfers and promotion.
He asked her successor to promote more principals, saying many have stagnated in grade D3 for years.
Mr Kuria said stagnation leads to disappointment, reduced morale, burnout and a feeling of betrayal.
“The highest grade is D5 or chief principal. We call for the creation of D6 and D7 so that school leaders and long-serving educators continue growing professionally and are rewarded appropriately,” he said.
Mr Kuria asked the TSC to speed up the promotions of acting principals. According to Kessha, thousands of deputy principals remain in Grade D1, with many acting as principals but without the accompanying incentives.
“They should be considered for confirmation. The number of teachers promoted is a drop in the ocean. Promoting 25,000 teachers against a population of 480,000 can barely have an impact on education,” he said.
Kenya Primary School Heads Association chairman, Fuad Ali, assured his secondary school colleagues of a seamless transition that safeguards learners’ rights and competencies.
