The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will post a total of 24,000 intern teachers to junior schools in January 2026.
This was revealed by Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Julius Ogamba during World Teachers’ Day celebrations on 6th October, at the Moi International Sports Centre Nairobi.
Ogamba said the new recruitment will push the number of teachers hired over the past three years to 100,000, marking a major milestone in the government’s education reforms.
“Seventy-six thousand teachers have already been employed, and 24,000 more will be employed by January 2026,” he said.
TSC will start document verification exercise in December which will culminate to signing of internship contracts followed by deployment to junior schools.
The CS further noted that more recruitment will be made next year to equip junior schools with enough teachers.
“An additional 16,000 will follow later in the year, as we continue bridging the teacher shortage that has challenged our education system for years.”
The CS hailed Kenyan teachers for their “resilience and sacrifice,” describing them as “true nation builders” and key to the successful rollout of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum.
To support ongoing training, Migos said the government had allocated Ksh.950 million to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for retooling programs that equip teachers with new skills under CBE.
TSC Chair Jamleck Muturi, who also addressed the gathering, said the recruitment process for the 24,000 new teachers has been digitized to enhance efficiency and transparency.
“Registration of teachers has been automated, and recruitment is now fully online,” Dr. Muturi said. “By January, 24,000 teachers will be in class.”
He added that 151,612 teachers have been promoted, with interviews for further promotions set to begin on Monday.
“Over 300,000 teachers have already been retooled, and the government will finalize the last cohort in December,” he said.
The new employment drive comes as the Ministry of Education and the TSC continue implementing reforms aimed at improving teacher capacity, digital integration, and curriculum delivery in line with Kenya’s education transformation agenda.
TSC received over a hundred thousands applications after it advertised the 24,000 junior school teaching slots.
Their employment is on a one year internship basis starting from 1st January to 31st December 2026.
However TSC scoresheet shows priority will be given to unemployed teachers with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, Technical subjects then Languages respectively.
Teachers with one Science subject plus any other subject (Biology/…,Chemistry/…, Physics/ ….,) combinations have been awarded 65 marks.
Mathematics with any none science subject combinations have been awarded 55 marks.
Those with one technical/ or Creative Arts Subject (Home science/…, Computer studies/…., Business studies/…, Music/…, Drawing & design/…, Art & design/…, woodwork/…, Electricity/…, Aviation technology/…, Electronics/…..Building & construction/…, Metalwork/…, Power mechanics/…. PE/…) have been awarded 40 marks.
Language teachers with one language and any other subject (French/…, English/…, Kiswahili/…, German/…, Arabic/…, Mandarin/……) have been awarded 25 marks.
However Art teachers, those with one Art and any subject combinations e.g. History/…, CRE/…, Geography/…, IRE/., HRE/…Life Skills/… have suffered a blow. TSC has awarded only 5 marks.
This has sparked protests with the Art teachers terming the scoresheet discriminatory.
The Commission has previously warned that there is dire shortage of science teachers in the country and will focus to address such.
Shortlisted teachers shall be required to present originals and clear photocopies of the following documents during verification exercise;
1) National identification card (ID)
2) Certificate of Registration as a teacher
3) Diploma or Degree certificate and official transcript
4) KCSE certificate or its equivalent (include certificates for attempts if one re-sat exams)
5) KCPE certificate or its equivalent (include certificates for attempts if one re-sat exams)
6) Primary and secondary school leaving certificates and other relevant testimonials
7) National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) Card (where applicable)
8) An affidavit sworn under the Oaths and Statutory Declarations Act. Cap 15 of the Laws of Kenya to explain the variance in names
9) Letter of certification of results by KNEC (where applicable)