When President William Ruto took office in 2022, Kenya’s education sector was grappling with an estimated shortage of about 116,000 teachers, as enrolment expanded under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and the 100 per cent transition policy.
The government placed teacher recruitment and classroom construction at the centre of its education agenda, promising to address staffing shortages, ease congestion and support learners transitioning to Junior Secondary School and, eventually, Senior School.
Four years into the administration, the government says it has recruited more than 100,000 teachers since 2022 and built more than 23,000 classrooms.
But the staffing challenge has not disappeared.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) continues to report teacher shortages, with growing enrolment and the expansion of the education system creating fresh demand even as the overall teaching workforce increases.
More than 100,000 teachers recruited
President Ruto has repeatedly listed teacher recruitment among his administration’s key achievements in education.
In June, he said more than 100,000 teachers had been employed since he took office, with a further 20,000 planned for recruitment.
“We have hired more than 100,000 teachers in just three years, with 20,000 more set to be hired this year, making it one of the most ambitious teacher recruitment drives in our nation’s history,” Ruto said.
The government had initially set a target of recruiting 100,000 teachers to help address the 116,000-teacher shortage recorded in 2022.
The planned additional 20,000 recruitments would take that target to 120,000, although another government projection has placed the longer-term recruitment target at 124,000 teachers.
The recruitment programme has covered permanent, contractual and internship positions.
The government has also sought to strengthen the supply of teachers through training, including a focus on recruiting and training people from Northern Kenya to address persistent shortages and improve teacher retention in the region.
Why the shortage remains
The recruitment of more than 100,000 teachers does not necessarily mean the 116,000-teacher gap identified in 2022 has been eliminated.
The number of teachers required has changed as enrolment has increased and Kenya’s education structure has expanded to accommodate Junior Secondary School and Senior School.
Data compiled from Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Economic Surveys covering 2023 to 2026, together with TSC submissions, shows that the teaching workforce increased from 342,700 teachers in 2022 to an estimated 442,000 in 2026.
Despite the growth, TSC has continued to cite a substantial staffing deficit.
TSC chief executive Nancy Macharia told the National Assembly in 2025 that the shortage stood at 98,261 teachers, including those required for Junior Secondary School.
Macharia warned that demand could rise further as learners move into Senior School.
The staffing gap is also influenced by retirements, teachers leaving the service, transfers and movement of teachers between different education levels.
The Institute of Economic Affairs has questioned whether headline recruitment figures fully represent the net increase in teachers available in classrooms, noting that recruitment figures can include replacements and contractual engagements.
IEA data cited in the material showed that the number of public primary school teachers declined from 219,727 in 2023 to 212,602 in 2024, partly because some teachers moved to Junior Secondary School while others exited the service.
Growing enrolment adds pressure
The expansion of the teaching workforce has taken place alongside rising learner numbers.
Public primary and Junior Secondary School enrolment rose above 10.7 million, while secondary school enrolment also increased.
As a result, many of the teachers recruited since 2022 have been absorbed by an education system that is itself expanding, rather than simply filling positions that were vacant when the administration took office.
The transition to Junior Secondary School has been a major driver of demand.
The introduction of Grades 7, 8 and 9 created additional requirements for both teachers and classrooms. The movement of the first CBC cohort into Grade 10 has now introduced a further need for teachers with specialised skills.
Pupil-teacher ratio improves
The government says the recruitment drive has nevertheless produced an improvement in the pupil-teacher ratio.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba has said the ratio improved from one teacher for every 45 learners in 2022 to one for every 29 learners.
Northern Kenya remains among the regions facing persistent teacher shortages.
In response, the government has increased recruitment and training of teachers from the region.
During Madaraka Day celebrations in Wajir, President Ruto said 1,800 local teachers from Wajir, Mandera and Garissa had been recruited for deployment in the region.
He also said 4,616 young people from the three counties had enrolled in teacher training colleges.
The government has linked the approach to the longstanding challenge of retaining teachers in hardship areas, where schools have historically experienced vacancies because teachers recruited from other regions may seek transfers.
More than 23,000 classrooms constructed
Teacher recruitment has been accompanied by investment in classroom infrastructure.
The government says more than 23,000 classrooms have been constructed since 2022 to accommodate rising enrolment and learners moving into Junior Secondary School.
About 16,000 classrooms were constructed through the Ministry of Education, while another 7,000 were supported through the National Government Constituencies Development Fund.
The additional classrooms are intended to reduce congestion and provide adequate learning space as learners progress through the new education structure.
However, infrastructure needs have continued to change as the CBC rollout advances.
With the first CBC cohort now entering Senior School, the focus is shifting towards laboratories and other facilities required for specialised learning.
Senior School creates fresh test
The transition to Senior School is adding another layer to the teacher shortage, particularly in specialised subjects.
The government says it is constructing 1,600 science laboratories to support the transition and strengthen Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning.
Ruto said in June that 52 per cent of learners in the first Grade 10 cohort had selected the STEM pathway.
The figure is expected to increase demand for teachers in sciences, technical studies and other specialised areas.
This means the challenge is no longer simply about increasing the overall number of teachers. Schools also require teachers with the qualifications and skills to teach the pathways selected by learners.
These include Technical Studies, Performing Arts, Home Science and Sports Science.
Promotions and teacher welfare
The recruitment programme has also been accompanied by concerns over teacher career progression and welfare.
Macharia told the National Assembly that 178,871 teachers were awaiting promotion, with inadequate funding affecting the implementation of career progression.
She said 151,611 teachers had been promoted over two years through common cadre and competitive processes.
However, the commission said funding remained a challenge, with allocations for promotions falling below the amount required to clear the backlog.
Ruto has said the government allocated Sh1.6 billion for teacher capacity building and a further Sh1 billion for promotions.
The figures point to a broader challenge facing Kenya’s education sector: increasing the number of teachers is only one part of addressing staffing pressures.
The government must also contend with rising enrolment, new education levels, specialised subject requirements, teacher transfers and exits, as well as career progression and retention.
While the recruitment of more than 100,000 teachers and construction of more than 23,000 classrooms represent a significant expansion of resources since 2022, the continued staffing deficit shows that Kenya’s education system still faces a substantial demand for teachers as the CBC transition enters a new phase.
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