TSC seeks Ksh.423B in 2026/27 budget as it plans to recruit 16,000 teachers

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has proposed a budget of Ksh.422.95 billion for the 2026/2027 financial year, up from the Ksh.387.2 billion approved in the current financial year, as it seeks to address a lingering teacher shortage and implement a raft of reforms in the public education sector.

The commission presented its Budget Policy Statement to the Parliamentary Departmental Committee on Education on February 18, 2026, outlining its spending priorities and performance targets for the medium-term period.

Central to the commission's plans is the recruitment of 16,000 additional teachers for Junior and Senior Schools (JSS) at a cost of Ksh.1.9 billion.

This move, it said, is aimed at bridging a teacher deficit that has long hampered the delivery of quality education in public schools.

TSC notes that it has already recruited 100,000 teachers over the past three financial years under the government's Bottom-Up Economic Transformative Agenda (BETA), which had targeted the elimination of a 116,000-teacher shortage within two financial years.

Beyond recruitment, the commission plans to convert 20,000 intern teachers to permanent and pensionable terms at a cost of Ksh.7.2 billion, a move expected to bring greater job security and stability to thousands of educators serving in public institutions.

Teachers at various levels across primary, secondary, and teacher training colleges will also benefit from a Ksh.2 billion promotion exercise.

In line with the government's competency-based curriculum reforms, TSC has also proposed Ksh.1.5 billion for the retooling of teachers on new learning areas in Junior and Senior Schools.

The commission further plans to train 70,000 teachers annually on Competency-Based Curriculum across the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period, while thousands more will be trained under the School-Based Teacher Support System (SBTSS) and through live-streaming of lessons under World Bank-funded programmes.

The second phase of the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is also set for implementation at a cost of Ksh.8.4 billion, which will have direct implications on teacher salaries and allowances.

On the health front, the commission confirmed that it has enrolled all of its more than 400,000 teachers and approximately one million dependants onto the Social Health Authority (SHA) universal health coverage platform.

However, TSC warned that the proposed allocation of Ksh.16.5 billion for medical cover may fall short given the growing number of teachers who have recently been recruited into the service.

The commission also flagged several unfunded priorities that risk undermining its service delivery.

These include group life, personal accident, and Work Injury Benefits Act (WIBA) insurance covers for teachers, estimated at Ksh.5.3 billion, for which no provision has been made in the current ceilings.

Additionally, TSC said it requires an extra Ksh.700 million to adequately facilitate its decentralized offices at the regional, county, and sub-county levels, noting that the funds allocated have not matched infrastructure and operational needs.

A significant policy shift on the horizon involves the introduction of a new administrative structure for Junior Schools.

TSC intends to appoint Heads of Institutions and their Deputies for these schools, a change that will require additional budget for personnel emoluments, capacity building, teacher recruitment, and possibly the expansion of school infrastructure.

The commission acknowledged that the move could face resistance from teacher unions and existing primary school heads.

TSC also raised the issue of teachers serving in acting capacities in higher administrative positions without an acting allowance, noting that no funds have been allocated to compensate them despite a clear policy framework in place since 2017.