TSC Advertises 7,720 Teaching Jobs on Permanent Terms

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) in Kenya has announced 7,720 teaching vacancies on permanent and pensionable terms. The vacancies are distributed across primary schools (5,609 positions), junior schools (25 positions), and secondary schools (2,086 positions). Qualified candidates can submit applications through the TSC's online recruitment portal until November 23, 2026. To be eligible, applicants must be Kenyan citizens, registered teachers with the TSC, and meet the required academic qualifications for their respective teaching levels.

The TSC has specified the minimum academic requirements for each level. Candidates applying for primary school positions must have at least a Primary One (P1) certificate. Those applying for junior and secondary school positions must hold a Diploma in Education. The commission emphasized that applicants should submit only one application form online, as multiple applications will lead to disqualification. Additionally, manual applications will not be considered.

Successful applicants will be employed on permanent and pensionable terms of service. The TSC will use merit lists generated during this recruitment exercise for subsequent hiring within the 2026/2027 financial year. Shortlisted candidates will be required to present their original academic and professional certificates during the recruitment process. Preference will be given to applicants who have not previously been employed by the TSC.

The TSC has warned applicants against fraudsters who may demand payment in exchange for assistance in the recruitment process. The commission stated that the recruitment exercise is free of charge. Successful candidates may be deployed to any part of the country, regardless of the county or school where they were interviewed. However, teachers recruited for junior school vacancies will be posted to the specific schools where the vacancies arose.

This recruitment effort aims to address staffing gaps in public schools resulting from teachers leaving service. In July 2026, the TSC advertised 20,000 permanent and pensionable positions for junior school teachers to support the implementation of the Competency-Based Education curriculum. A month later, the commission announced an additional 35,550 teaching opportunities, including 10,000 permanent and pensionable positions and 25,550 internship positions.

The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) has expressed concerns that the advertised vacancies are insufficient to address the backlog of teachers who have remained in the same job groups for years. The union demanded that the TSC advertise promotion vacancies for 135,000 teachers who have stagnated in their job groups. The TSC reported that 178,871 primary and secondary school teachers had stagnated in their job groups, citing budgetary constraints as a major obstacle.

The TSC and Kuppet have been working together to address teacher stagnation. In June 2026, the two parties agreed to review the Career Progression Guidelines, introducing two career pathways: administrative and classroom-based. This reform aims to allow teachers to progress to senior grades without becoming school administrators, potentially reducing stagnation and improving teacher satisfaction.

Key points

• The TSC has advertised 7,720 teaching vacancies on permanent and pensionable terms to address staffing gaps in public schools.
• Applicants must submit their applications online by November 23, 2026, and meet the specified academic requirements for their respective teaching levels.
• The recruitment exercise is free of charge, and the TSC has warned applicants against fraudsters demanding payment for assistance.