The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has revealed it needs Ksh70 billion to recruit 98,461 teachers for Junior Secondary and high schools across the country.
TSC CEO Nancy Macharia disclosed this figure while appearing before the Senate National Cohesion Committee, chaired by Marsabit Senator Mohammed Chute. She explained that the country is currently short of 72,442 teachers in Junior Secondary and 26,039 in high schools under the 8-4-4 system.
“If we were to receive Ksh70 billion, we could address the teacher shortages optimally,” Macharia told the committee in response to Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah.
Macharia also addressed claims that politicians have taken over the teacher hiring process. She strongly refuted the allegations, saying all recruitment is conducted professionally at the subcounty level.
“We did not issue recruitment letters to any politician. Our recruitment follows TSC guidelines,” she stated.
So far, TSC has employed 68,313 Junior Secondary School teachers on permanent and pensionable terms. These include 9,000 hired in the 2022–23 financial year, 39,550 in 2024–25, and 20,000 interns who reported to schools in January 2025.
Only 237 of the 68,550 positions remain unfilled, mainly due to a lack of applicants in hardship areas. These include 56 permanent posts in Mandera and 181 internship positions in Mandera (114), Marsabit (34), and Wajir (33).
Macharia also revealed that the subcounty recruitment model was meant to guarantee equal access for all applicants. According to TSC data, the Kalenjin community had the highest number of recruited teachers at 10,769, followed by the Luhya (10,466), Kamba (9,557), Kikuyu (8,799), Luo (8,721), and Abagusii (6,796).
Other groups included Ameru (4,087), Mijikenda (1,851), Maasai (1,741), Embu (883), Tharaka (608), Mbeere (526), Teso (510), Taita (435), Somali (347), Pokot (204), Samburu (136), Turkana (131), and Duruma (115).
Despite this data, Senators pressed Macharia on reports of political interference. Senator Chute questioned how many teachers were recruited “at funerals,” while Senator Omtatah challenged Macharia on her responsibility.
“If teachers were hired against your policy, you should have resigned. That’s what serious civil servants do,” said Omtatah.
In response, Macharia defended the commission’s integrity, stating, “TSC did not participate in any unlawful recruitment. All 68,313 teachers were hired by TSC—not the Office of the President. We follow the law and adhere to clear recruitment guidelines.”
