President William Ruto said the government will raise the number of promotion slots advertised by the Teachers Service Commission from 34,016 to 50,000, the largest single‑year promotion exercise in Kenya’s history.

The expansion will be financed by additional funds that the president pledged to provide, ensuring the promotion programme can be fully funded.

From January 2027, 20,000 teachers on two‑year contracts who have completed the required service period will be transferred to permanent, pensionable positions, backed by Sh4.9 billion allocated in the 2026/27 budget.

Ruto noted that 100,000 teachers have been recruited over the past four years, with another 20,000 expected by December, bringing total recruitment under his administration to 120,000.

Since taking office, 126,462 teachers have been promoted, while unions have raised concerns about stagnation in certain grades; revised career‑progression guidelines are awaiting approval by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.

The budget earmarks Sh8.1 billion for implementing the teachers’ Collective Bargaining Agreement, includes a 20 percent allocation of affordable‑housing units for teachers, and introduces a check‑off system to deduct housing payments directly from salaries.

A Pension Management Information System launched on 1 July 2026 aims to process retirement benefits within ten days once fully operational.

Related education sector initiatives

Education funding has risen from Sh526 billion to Sh784.5 billion, making the sector the largest‑funded area in the national budget, and more than 23,000 classrooms and 1,600 laboratories have been built or equipped recently.

Teacher capacity development receives an extra Sh952 million, with over 220,000 teachers re‑skilled for Competency‑Based Education, while the government pushes STEM and digital learning across schools.

Under the proposed Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill, 2026, full funding is planned for students admitted to universities, technical colleges and Kenya Medical Training College.