The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced 9,159 job vacancies to replace teachers who have exited the service through natural attrition.
In a notice released on Monday, November 24th , TSC confirmed that all positions will be filled on permanent and pensionable terms.
Of the advertised vacancies, 7,065 are in primary schools, 12 in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS), and 2,082 in secondary schools.
“TSC invites interested and qualified candidates to submit their applications online through the Teachers Service Commission website on or before December 8, 2025, at midnight. Details on available vacancies per county or school are provided on the TSC website,” the notice stated.
In December 2024, TSC advertised 8,707 attrition-replacement positions, while earlier reports indicated the commission lost 8,018 teachers between June 2022 and January 2023.
More recent data showed 2,014 vacancies in May 2025, with a record 10,245 teachers expected to leave the payroll in June 2025. According to the commission, the latest recruitment drive aims to stabilise learning in public institutions following exits caused by retirements, resignations, and deaths.
Former TSC CEO Nancy Macharia had previously warned that the teacher shortage remains severe, noting that junior and senior secondary schools currently face a deficit of 98,261 teachers.
She also cautioned that this gap could widen with the rollout of senior secondary schools in 2026, placing further pressure on the implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
“We need Sh5 billion annually to promote teachers and ensure they do not stagnate in their careers. We have over 300,000 trained but unemployed teachers in our register. The biggest issue for us is the budget. Currently, we only receive Sh1 billion, which can only recruit about 6,000 teachers,” she said while appearing before the Education Committee.
In addition to the newly advertised vacancies, TSC is set to recruit 24,000 intern teachers in January 2026 to address growing staffing gaps in primary and secondary schools.
The new cohort is expected to support learning as schools reopen, particularly in junior and senior secondary levels, where shortages are most acute. This comes as the contracts of the current 20,000 intern teachers expire in December, raising concerns about continuity and potential disruptions in learning.
Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Secretary-General Collins Oyuu described the heavy reliance on intern teachers as a “stopgap measure” driven by funding limitations. He noted that interns continue to earn as little as Sh6,000, despite performing full teaching duties.
“Allowing these teachers to work as interns which is not even provided for in the code of regulations is merely a temporary measure, and we must accept it as such. These teachers are paid very little, about Sh6,000, despite not being proper interns. We only accept this arrangement as a short-term solution, not because it aligns with the law, and we hope a proper system will be implemented soon,” he said.
Mr. Oyuu added that the number unemployed teachers is nearly equal to those currently employed, underscoring the need for structured employment pathways.