Kenyan President William Ruto has announced that the government will have recruited 120,000 teachers by December 2026. This is a revision of an earlier target of 116,000 by July 2027. The announcement was made during World Teachers' Day celebrations at the Kasarani Gymnasium. Ruto described the recruitment drive as the largest teacher enrolment in Kenya's history.
The President also mentioned that the record Sh784.5 billion education budget for the 2026-27 financial year caters for the conversion of 20,000 contract teachers to permanent and pensionable terms. This move is part of a larger effort to improve the welfare of teachers in the country. Ruto stated that since his administration took office, 126,462 teachers have been promoted, more than under any previous administration.
Ruto reminded teachers of pledges he made last year on career progression and reported on the progress made so far. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and teacher unions have finalised talks on new career progression guidelines, awaiting approval by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) within the next two weeks. The TSC has already advertised 34,016 teacher promotion slots.
The government has doubled the annual teacher promotion budget to Sh2 billion. Ruto encouraged the TSC to enhance these 34,000 promotions to 50,000, assuring that resources would be made available for the additional promotions. This move aims to provide more opportunities for teachers to advance in their careers.
The President also announced an expansion of health cover for teachers. Previously, teachers had access to only 7% in-patient care compared to 14% for other civil servants. However, access has been equalised, with 415,608 teachers and 884,392 dependants covered by September 2026. Over 680,000 teachers and their dependants used the Social Health Authority (SHA) between December 2025 and September 2026.
Ruto mentioned that teachers' salaries have been enhanced through a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with TSC, signed last year. The first phase of enhanced salaries was paid promptly, and the second phase was paid in July this year. The budget provides a further Sh8.1 billion to keep the agreement on schedule this year. The President is also considering teachers' requests to shorten the four-year CBA cycle to two years.
The government has also unlocked a home-ownership path for teachers, with 20,000 affordable housing units reserved for them. An agreement was signed with KUPPET and KNUT in September 2025 for one in every five affordable housing units to go to teachers. The Affordable Housing Board is working with TSC on a check-off system to enable teachers to pay for homes directly from their salaries.
Key points
- The Kenyan government aims to recruit 120,000 teachers by December 2026.
- President Ruto announced a record Sh784.5 billion education budget for the 2026-27 financial year.
- The government has equalised health cover for teachers with other civil servants, covering 415,608 teachers and 884,392 dependants by September 2026.
