The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has proposed a Sh422.9563 billion budget allocation for the 2026/2027 financial year, with plans to recruit 16,000 additional teachers as part of ongoing efforts to address the country’s staffing gaps in public learning institutions.
Appearing before the Julius Melly-led Committee on Education on the 2026 Budget Policy Statement, the Ag. CEO for TSC Evaleen Mitei said that the Commission’s raft of policy interventions, expenditure priorities and performance targets aimed at improving learning outcomes in basic education.
Mitei told the MPs that the proposed recruitment will help tackle the teacher shortage in line with government policy commitments.
“In the financial year 2026/2027, the Commission proposes to recruit an additional 16,000 teachers to continuously address the existing teacher shortage and achieve the envisioned goal under the government manifesto,” Mitei said.
The Commission disclosed that it has already recruited 100,000 teachers in the last three financial years, as part of broader efforts to address a shortage that had previously been estimated at 116,000 teachers within two financial years under government policy targets.
The Commission’s key activities earmarked for the 2026/2027 financial year include recruitment, promotions, teacher training, curriculum implementation support and institutional reforms across the education sector.
TSC outlined its expenditure priorities, telling MPs that recruitment of 16,000 additional teachers for Junior School and Senior Schools at a cost of Sh1.9 billion, promotion of teachers in Primary and Secondary Schools and Teacher Training Colleges at a cost of Sh2 billion and retooling of teachers on new learning areas in Junior School and Senior School at a cost of Sh1.5 billion.
The commission further added that on implementation of the second phase of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement at a cost of Sh8.4 billion, and the conversion of 20,000 interns to permanent and pensionable terms at a cost of Sh7.2 billion.
When Mitei queried about the conversion of intern teachers, she stated that, “Conversion of 20,000 interns to permanent and pensionable terms at a cost of Sh7.2 billion.”
She added that teachers will undergo training under various professional development programmes, including the School-Based Teacher Support System (SBTSS) and live streaming of lessons through donor-funded initiatives.
Mitei said that the ongoing donor-funded education projects aimed at improving equity and quality of learning in primary and secondary education, which include the Kenya Primary Education Equity in Learning Program (KPEEL) and Secondary Education Quality Improvement Project (SEEQIP).
“The SEEQIP project has been allocated a grant of Sh100 million, while the KPEEL project has been allocated Sh84 million. In total, the combined funding needed for both projects amounts to Sh. 184 million,” Mitei told MPs.
“The KPEEL project proposed loan allocation is Sh227 million, while the SEEQIP project is Sh250 million. In total, the combined loan funding for both projects amounts to Sh477 million.”
Mitei confirmed to the lawmakers that they have allocated counterpart funding to support the implementation of the KPEEL programme.
“Commission was allocated Sh20 million counterpart funding (GoK) for implementation of the Kenya Primary Education Equity in Learning (KPEEL) project,” she said.
Under ongoing infrastructure projects aligned to Medium Term Plan IV priorities, the Commission is seeking Sh61 million for the construction of county offices, saying that funding constraints continue to affect service delivery, particularly following the decentralisation of its services.
“These funds will be used for the ongoing construction of county offices in Kwale, Kitui, and Murang’a, with Sh20.33 million is designated for each County. The funds allocated to the Commission, however, have not matched these resource requirements, thereby leading to strain in the provision of quality services. The commission requires an additional Sh. 700 million,” Mitei explained.
The BPS is proposing policy changes aimed at strengthening governance structures in Junior Schools through the establishment of a new administrative framework, a move the commission says could have financial and operational implications.
“The Commission will be required to appoint heads of institutions and their deputies, and this change will necessitate an increase in budget allocation for personnel emoluments, and there will be a need to train and capacity build the newly appointed Heads on management, and this will require additional resources under capacity building,” the TSC chief said.
She told the MPs that the Commission, as of January 31, 2026, had no outstanding financial obligations.
