Around 30.000 of teachers across Kenya could benefit from the latest Teachers Service Commission (TSC) promotion plans. This is after Parliament’s Education Committee pushed the Commission to speed up promotions, confirm intern teachers, and address welfare concerns affecting educators nationwide.
On Wednesday, 13th May 2026, in a high-level meeting held at Bunge Towers, the Departmental Committee on Education engaged TSC officials over the Commission’s plans for the 2026/27 financial year. The discussions focused on t
- teacher promotions,
- intern teacher confirmation,
- regional fairness, and
- implementation of teacher welfare programmes.
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The session, chaired by Hon. Julius Melly, brought together Members of Parliament and TSC officials led by Acting CEO Ms. Eveleen Mitei.
Contents
20,000 TSC Intern Teachers to Be Confirmed
One of the vital issue promotion considered during the meeting was the fate of intern teachers currently serving in schools across the country.
According to TSC, out of the 44,000 intern teachers currently engaged:
- 20,000 interns will be confirmed to Permanent and Pensionable (PnP) terms in the 2026/27 financial year.
- The teachers are expected to complete their mandatory two-year internship period by January 2027 before official absorption.
This confirmation process is expected to improve job security and motivation among young teachers who have been serving under internship terms with lower pay and limited benefits.
Another 10,000 Serving teachers to be promoted
Most of the teachers who will be beneficiaries are going to be those who are of age 45+ and have served in C1 and C3 for long.
Close to 10,000 teachers are expected to be promoted this year depending on the number of teachers exiting service through retirement, resignation, or other factors.
This announcement comes as a major relief to teachers who have remained in the same job groups for years despite meeting the required qualifications and experience.
The Education Committee expressed concern over delays in promotions and urged TSC to ensure that the process is:
- Fair
- Transparent
- Merit-based
- Regionally balanced
Lawmakers also questioned the disparities being reported in different counties where some regions appear to receive more promotion opportunities than others.
KES 2 Billion Allocated for TSC Teacher Promotions
Parliament revealed that KES 2 billion has been allocated towards teacher promotions.
The Committee Chairperson, Hon. Julius Melly, directed TSC to hasten the promotion process so that deserving teachers can move to higher grades without unnecessary delays.
The allocation is expected to support:
- Salary upgrades
- Administrative promotions
- Career progression for classroom teachers
- Promotion interviews and placements
For many teachers, the funding signals hope after years of stagnation under the Teachers’ Career Progression Guidelines (CPG).
Why TSC Cannot Recruit More Permanent Teachers Now
TSC informed the Committee that it cannot proceed with the recruitment of additional permanent and pensionable teachers while thousands of intern teachers are still awaiting confirmation.
This means that the Commission is prioritizing:
- Confirmation of serving interns
- Budget allocation for promotions
- Balancing teacher distribution across schools
The move may affect unemployed teachers hoping for new recruitment opportunities in the short term, especially those registered by TSC but not yet employed.
Over 100,000 Teachers Recruited in Three Years
TSC also revealed that more than 100,000 teachers have been recruited over the last three years following additional government support.
The recruitment drive has helped reduce teacher shortages in many schools, especially in:
- Junior Secondary Schools (JSS)
- Primary schools
- Secondary schools in understaffed regions
However, MPs noted that teacher shortages still remain a major challenge in some parts of the country. In his closing remarks, Hon. Julius Melly directed TSC to provide the Teachers’ Progression Guidelines (TPG) to the Committee for review.
What Teachers Should Expect Next
Teachers across Kenya are now waiting for:
- Official TSC promotion advertisements
- Promotion interview schedules
- Release of shortlisted candidates
- Confirmation letters for intern teachers
- Possible review of progression guidelines
If implemented successfully, the 2026 promotion programme could become one of the largest teacher career advancement exercises in recent years.
Betty is a qualified teacher with a Bachelor of Education (Arts). In addition, she is a registered Certified Public Accountant. She has been teaching and offering part-time accounting services for the last 10 years. She is passionate about education, accounting, writing, and traveling.