Ruto: 20,000 intern teachers to be hired from January 2026
In addition to recruitment, he said the government is also investing in teacher development and welfare. Ruto revealed that Sh1.6 billion has been allocated for teacher capacity building, while another Sh1 billion will go towards promoting teachers.
The government will recruit 20,000 intern teachers beginning January 2026 in a move to address the persistent shortage of teachers in public schools, President William Ruto announced on Thursday.
Speaking during the Labour Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi, the President said Sh2.4 billion has already been set aside to facilitate the exercise, which is part of a broader plan to narrow the teacher shortfall across the country.
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“On education, we are closing the teacher shortage gap of 116,000 that existed in 2022. We have recruited over 76,000 teachers in the last two years, and we have set aside Sh2.4 billion to hire an additional 20,000 intern teachers with effect from January 2026,” Ruto said.
In addition to recruitment, he said the government is also investing in teacher development and welfare. Ruto revealed that Sh1.6 billion has been allocated for teacher capacity building, while another Sh1 billion will go towards promoting teachers.
“This investment has improved student-teacher ratios, enhanced literacy and numeracy, and generated stable employment in communities across the country,” he added.
The announcement comes amid ongoing concerns by education stakeholders over the quality of learning in overcrowded classrooms and the need to motivate teachers through promotions and professional development.
Recently, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) decried inadequate funding for promotions, saying it needs at least Sh3 billion to promote over 178,000 teachers who have remained in the same job groups for years.
TSC boss Nancy Macharia said chronic underfunding had severely hampered the implementation of career progression guidelines, leaving thousands of primary and secondary school teachers stagnated in their positions.
“This stagnation has triggered complaints from unions, lowered morale and contributed to increased attrition within the profession,” Macharia told the National Assembly Education Committee, chaired by Kasipul MP and vice chairperson Eve Obara.
While defending the commission against claims of favouritism and skewed promotion practices, Macharia noted that only Sh2 billion had been allocated for promotions over the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 financial years, far short of the Sh35 billion needed to clear the promotion backlog.
She revealed that out of the 178,871 teachers awaiting promotion, 151,611 have been promoted in the last two years, 75,090 through common cadre promotions and 76,521 through competitive processes. In the current financial year alone, 25,252 teachers were promoted following interviews conducted earlier in the year.
However, she said 381 positions advertised in November and December 2024 remain unfilled due to financial and logistical constraints. The commission received 5,690 applications in November and 19,943 in December.
Macharia added that although the commission had requested Sh2 billion for promotions in the current year, the National Treasury only allocated Sh1 billion, again leaving the TSC underfunded.
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