President William Ruto has announced that the government will have recruited 120, 000 teachers by December 2026.
Speaking during the World Teachers’ Day 2026 at Kasarani, Nairobi, Ruto said the latest recruitment would help address the teacher shortage in schools while expanding the teaching workforce across the country.
“By December, we will have recruited 120,000 teachers the largest expansion of the teaching force in our nation’s history in five years.
President Ruto said Ksh 784.5 billion education budget for 2026/27 financial year also caters to converting 20,000 contract teachers to permanent, pensionable terms and accompanied by unprecedented promotion opportunities.
“Since we took office, 126, 462 teachers have been promoted, more than under any other previous administration,” Ruto said.
He emphasized that the government is taking steps to improve teachers’ employment terms, career growth and welfare. Ruto said the 20,000 additional teachers would be recruited, addressing a shortage of 116,000 teachers since his administration took office.
He stated that Ksh 4.9 billion has been set aside to facilitate the transition of 20,000 contract teachers who have served for two years to permanent and pensionable terms starting January 2027.
“This year’s budget also provides 4.9 billion shillings to move 20,000 contract teachers who have served for two years to permanent and pensionable terms from January 2027,” Ruto said.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has advertised 34,016 teacher promotion slots, with the government doubling the annual teacher promotion budget to Ksh 2 billion.
“This will be the largest single teacher promotion exercise undertaken in one year. I want to encourage the TSC to enhance these 34,000 promotions to 50,000,” the President said.
President Ruto added that the government was using Pension Management Information System to improve the processing of teachers’ retirement benefits and reduce time taken to complete payments.