Over 25,000 teachers promoted as TSC waives three-year rule to fill staffing gaps in schools
A total of 5,291 teachers were promoted despite not having served the required minimum time in their grades. The majority of these promotions were to principal and deputy headteacher positions, where the number of eligible candidates fell short of demand.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has approved promotions for 25,252 teachers, including thousands who did not meet the usual three-year minimum service requirement in their current grades.
The move follows a waiver aimed at addressing teacher shortages in schools across the country.
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A total of 5,291 teachers were promoted despite not having served the required minimum time in their grades. The majority of these promotions were to principal and deputy headteacher positions, where the number of eligible candidates fell short of demand.
“In the just concluded promotion exercise, the number of teachers who had met the three-year requirement in the feeder grades fell significantly short of the number of vacancies,” the commission said in a statement dated May 22, 2025.
The promotion exercise was made possible after the National Assembly allocated Sh1 billion to support the initiative. However, the funds were only enough to cover 5,690 of the 25,252 available vacancies.
In the exercise, 1,410 teachers were promoted to principal positions under Grade D3, while 3,686 were appointed as deputy headteachers under Grade C4. However, only 598 teachers had served long enough to qualify for the 1,410 principal slots, and 7,460 qualified for the 3,686 deputy headteacher posts.
To address the gap, the TSC temporarily lowered the requirement to six months of service in one grade, enabling a broader pool of applicants to compete for the positions. The commission explained that the waiver was aimed at attracting more candidates and addressing the persistent issue of educators holding acting positions without confirmation.
“This policy decision helped ensure that the vacancies were competitively filled, especially in arid and semi-arid regions where recruitment and retention have been difficult,” the commission said.
Out of the 5,291 teachers promoted without meeting the three-year threshold, 3,427 were appointed to the key administrative roles of principal and deputy headteacher.
TSC has requested that all teachers promoted under the temporary measure be retained in their new positions, stating that the waiver was critical in bridging staffing gaps in school leadership.
The commission said it would develop and publish standardised promotion guidelines following public participation involving teachers, unions, and other education stakeholders.
“The new framework will comply with constitutional principles including equity, inclusiveness and non-discrimination,” read the statement.
“The commission remains committed to ensuring fair and accountable processes in future promotions.”
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