President William Ruto has directed the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to increase the number of teachers to be promoted this year from 34,016 to 50,000.
Ruto said the move will make the exercise the largest teacher promotion programme undertaken in a single year, with the government set to provide additional funding to facilitate the increase.
Speaking during the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebrations at Kasarani Gymnasium in Nairobi on Monday, October 5,President Ruto said 126,462 teachers had been promoted since his administration took office.
He said the government had also fulfilled its commitment to double the teacher promotions budget from Sh1 billion to Sh2 billion.
The President further announced that Kenya will recruit an additional 20,000 teachers by December, bringing the total number recruited by his administration over the past four years to 120,000.
He said Sh4.9 billion had been allocated to move 20,000 contract teachers who have served for two years to permanent and pensionable terms from January 2027.
President Ruto said the measures were part of efforts to address the teacher shortage, which he put at 116,000 when his administration assumed office.
The President also highlighted reforms in the education sector, including the implementation of Competency-Based Education (CBE), saying more than 220,000 teachers had been retooled to support the new system.
He said more than 23,000 classrooms had been constructed across the country, while 1,600 laboratories were being equipped to support science education and Senior School pathways.
On teacher welfare, the president said the government had allocated a further Sh8.1 billion in the 2026/27 budget to support implementation of the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement.
He also said the teachers’ medical scheme had improved access to healthcare, with the inpatient access rate rising from seven per cent to 14 per cent.
President Ruto challenged teachers to embrace technology and new teaching methods to prepare learners for a changing job market.
“Our children cannot learn tomorrow’s skills from yesterday’s methods,” he said.
The President also urged teachers preparing candidates for national examinations to support learners while safeguarding the integrity of the examination process.
The 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebrations were held under the theme “Standing with Teachers: 60 Years of Protecting the Profession, Advancing its Status and Shaping Our Futures.”
