Unemployed P1 teachers are still hopeful that President William Ruto will fulfil his promise on employment, even as the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) maintains a freeze on their recruitment.
Many of these teachers have been unemployed for years, especially after the introduction of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). They have repeatedly staged protests demanding to be hired by TSC.
However, the Commission says there is currently no need for mass recruitment of primary school teachers. It argues that many primary schools are already overstaffed due to recent changes in the education system.
TSC explains that the shift of Grade 7 and Grade 8 learners from primary school to junior secondary school has left many primary schools with more teachers than required. According to TSC Chief Executive Eveleen Mitei, the surplus is estimated at about 18,000 teachers.
Because of this, TSC says it will only replace teachers who leave service instead of carrying out large-scale hiring for primary schools. The Commission has also advised Teacher Training Colleges to stop enrolling students for primary teaching courses.
At the same time, TSC says there is still a serious shortage of teachers in junior and senior schools. As a result, future recruitment will mainly focus on these levels to meet growing demand.
This position contrasts with earlier expectations raised by teacher unions. The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) had indicated that an agreement had been reached with President Ruto to prioritise unemployed P1 teachers in future recruitment exercises.
The President, during a meeting with teachers at State House in September last year, made several commitments. These included reviewing teacher recruitment policies and considering the hiring of unemployed teachers from July 2026.
Following these discussions, TSC collected data on unemployed teachers as directed by the President. However, the Commission maintains that opportunities for primary school teachers will remain limited compared to junior and secondary school positions.
To manage the surplus, TSC has been redeploying some primary school teachers to junior schools, special schools, and special units.
Many P1 teachers feel frustrated, saying they were encouraged to train under the expectation of guaranteed employment. Some also feel disadvantaged by the upgrading requirement, known as the Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (UDPTE), which was introduced to align teachers with the new curriculum.
Despite this, TSC has continued to hire some P1 teachers without the upgrade, while those who upgraded say they receive minimal advantage during recruitment.
The teachers are now waiting to see whether the government will follow through on its promise of large-scale hiring.
