Thousands of Junior Secondary School teachers could remain on temporary employment terms beyond January 2027 after the government revealed that its current budget can support the confirmation of only 20,000 interns, leaving another 24,000 waiting for additional funding to secure permanent and pensionable positions.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba told the Senate that the government was working with the National Treasury and other stakeholders to raise the money required to employ the remaining teachers permanently.
“We will continue to engage the National Treasury and other stakeholders with a view to securing additional resources to facilitate the gradual absorption of the remaining 24,000 intern teachers into permanent and pensionable service,” he said.
The announcement casts doubt on the employment prospects of thousands of teachers who have been seeking permanent positions after serving under the internship programme. It also raises fresh questions about the government's earlier commitment to improve the employment terms of teachers recruited to support the rollout of Junior Secondary School.
Nominated Senator Joyce Korir sought an explanation from the Education Ministry on the measures being taken to ensure all the affected teachers secure permanent employment.
“What measures are currently in place by the ministry for the permanent absorption of intern teachers?” Korir asked.
In his response, Ogamba indicated that the government had not secured enough money to accommodate the entire group, meaning those left out of the first phase would have to wait as efforts to obtain additional funding continue.
President William Ruto had earlier indicated that the 24,000 teachers recruited in the latest internship cohort would also be moved to permanent and pensionable terms in the next financial year.
However, the funding arrangements announced by the government currently cover only 20,000 teachers, leaving the other 24,000 without a confirmed date for their transition.
The National Treasury had set aside Sh8.16 billion for intern teachers and a further Sh4.92 billion to support the conversion of 20,000 interns to permanent and pensionable employment from January 2027.
The figures highlight the gap between the number of teachers awaiting permanent employment and the positions the government has so far made financial provisions to fill.
For the affected interns, the immediate outlook remains uncertain, with the government expected to continue the existing arrangement as it looks for money to support their eventual absorption.
Ogamba, however, rejected concerns that the employment uncertainty would leave schools without teachers. He said the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) had continued paying the interns their monthly stipends and that a court order permitted them to remain in schools while the legal dispute over the programme is determined.
“The interns continue to serve in schools and receive their stipends as provided for under the programme,” Ogamba said.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of persistent complaints from teachers and their unions over the use of internship contracts for qualified professionals who carry out regular teaching duties but receive lower payments than colleagues employed on permanent terms.
Junior Secondary School was rolled out nationally in January 2023 under the Competency-Based Curriculum, creating an urgent need for more teachers to support the new education structure.
The TSC responded by recruiting teachers in several phases. Some 46,000 interns were hired during the 2023-24 financial year, followed by another 20,000 in 2024-25 and 24,000 more in 2025-26.
The earlier group was later moved to permanent and pensionable employment, leaving approximately 44,000 teachers from the subsequent recruitment rounds still working under the internship arrangement.
Teachers' unions have maintained that the interns are trained and registered professionals whose duties are comparable to those of permanently employed teachers. They have challenged the decision to keep them on temporary contracts with lower monthly payments.
The disagreement first threatened to trigger industrial action in early 2024, when more than 21,000 JSS interns protested the expiry of their initial 11-month contracts and demanded permanent employment.
The standoff intensified in May 2024, when teachers took to the streets across the country after the TSC failed to confirm them immediately on permanent and pensionable terms.
Kuppet officials insisted that all 46,000 interns should be absorbed, while the teachers raised concerns about the amount they received each month, saying their take-home pay of about Sh17,000 was inadequate.
“We want all the 46,000 JSS interns to be confirmed into permanent and pensionable terms,” Kuppet Narok executive secretary Charles Ngeno said during protests in Narok.
The dispute also moved to the courts, with the Employment and Labour Relations Court ruling in April 2024 that the TSC had violated the rights of qualified and registered teachers by recruiting them as interns and placing them on disadvantaged terms.
The government's latest funding position leaves the question of permanent employment unresolved for thousands of teachers, even as they continue reporting to schools and delivering lessons. Their transition will depend on whether the government can secure the additional resources needed to extend permanent and pensionable terms to the remaining 24,000 interns.