TSC extends junior school internship contracts by another year despite growing unrest

Thousands of junior school intern teachers are bracing for another year on temporary contracts after the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) confirmed contract extensions for all serving interns.

This is despite growing frustration from the tutors who expected permanent appointments and had staged demonstrations demanding confirmation.

TSC Acting Chief Executive Officer Eveleen Mitei confirmed that all serving junior school interns will have their contracts extended from January 1 to December 31, 2026.

“The Commission approved the extension of contracts for all serving junior school teacher interns for a further 12 months, with effect from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026. All interns shall remain in their current stations, subject to their formal confirmation of acceptance,” Mitei said.

She explained that the extension aligns with the Teacher Internship Policy and Guidelines (2019) and is intended to ensure a smooth transition while preventing disruptions in learning as the current contracts expire.

President William Ruto recently emphasised that intern teachers must serve a minimum of two years before qualifying for permanent terms.

“I want to assure every intern that after two years, they will be automatically absorbed, that is the plan,” he said last month, noting that the programme helps address the backlog of more than 300,000 unemployed trained teachers while offering a structured career pathway.

County directors have been instructed to ensure that every intern formally accepts or declines the renewed contract.

“Interns accepting the offer must sign the acceptance section of the contract and submit a valid Personal Accident Cover for the new engagement period,” Mitei added.

Officials have been directed to issue extension letters immediately, no later than December 20, and submit reports on acceptances and declines by January 23, 2026.

County officials are also required to propose replacements for any interns who reject the extension, drawing from existing merit lists, and submit offer letters and summaries for TSC approval.

The decision has drawn strong criticism from teacher representatives. Kenya Junior School Teachers Association Chairperson James Odhiambo described it as a “profound blow” to morale.

“We thought that after going to the streets, the government would have had mercy on us. Our Christmas gift was supposed to be permanent and pensionable letters,” he said, noting that interns have served under low pay, earning about Sh20,000 per month before deductions.

He warned of the emotional toll on interns, many of whom are “shocked, depressed, demotivated and dejected.”

The tutors have declared that they will not renew their contracts in January, arguing that the programme is illegal.

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“If our contracts are not renewed, then we are not going back to class in January. This is a clear violation of our contracts; the courts have already pronounced themselves that the internship programme is illegal, so we cannot continue engaging in an illegality,” they said.

Last month, some interns staged a demonstration in Nairobi demanding confirmation of permanent positions, citing President Ruto’s promise at Statehouse on September 13 for permanent and pensionable employment at the end of their initial contracts.

The standoff threatens to disrupt learning in public junior schools, with teachers signalling readiness to boycott classes unless permanent appointments are granted.