The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has activated the April salary payroll, with payments expected to reflect in teachers’ bank and SACCO accounts between Friday 17th April and Saturday 18th April 2026.
However, new payroll data indicates that more than 30,000 teachers are missing from this month’s payment list, raising concern among affected staff.
According to sources within the payroll department, a significant number of recently recruited teachers have not yet been fully captured in the system. These include intern and replacement teachers hired earlier this year.
TSC recruited 24,000 junior school intern teachers in January 2026 and deployed them to schools under one-year internship contracts. In addition, 9,159 replacement teachers were hired to fill vacancies left by those who exited the service in 2025.
Although most of these teachers have been processed, a portion is still missing from the April payroll, meaning they may not receive their salaries on time.
Teachers promoted and posted in January are also affected, as some have not been included in the current pay structure. In total, TSC approved 21,383 promotions during the latest cycle, with teachers already deployed to new stations.
Those promoted under the Career Progression Guidelines are also expected to wait longer before their new salary scales are reflected in payroll updates.
The delay comes despite the government allocating Ksh 24.2 billion through a supplementary budget to help cover salary shortfalls and statutory deductions, including health contributions.
The government recently increased total expenditure through the Supplementary Appropriations Act, raising the national budget from Ksh 4.3 trillion to Ksh 4.69 trillion to support key sectors, including education.
Some teachers have reported that they have not received any salary since their employment in January, while others have only received partial payments, with arrears for January and February still pending.
A junior school intern teacher earns about Ksh 20,000 monthly, which reduces to roughly Ksh 18,000 after deductions such as SHIF, housing levy, and NSSF.
Replacement teachers, on the other hand, are on permanent and pensionable terms and are entitled to full salary and allowances after completing probation. Their pay varies depending on grade, location, and allowances such as hardship, commuter, and house allowances.
TSC also continues to manage salary progression for different teacher categories, including primary, junior, and secondary school teachers, each with distinct salary scales and benefits.
The Commission has indicated that payroll issues are expected to be resolved as system updates are completed and remaining teachers are fully captured in the April payment cycle.
