The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced 7,720 teaching vacancies across primary, junior, and secondary schools, offering successful candidates permanent and pensionable terms as the government intensifies efforts to address the country’s chronic teacher shortage.
In a notice issued Tuesday, November 10, 2026, the Commission said the recruitment exercise targets positions left vacant through natural attrition during the 2026/2027 financial year. The vacancies comprise 5,609 posts in primary schools, 25 in junior schools, and 2,086 in secondary schools.
“The Teachers Service Commission invites applications for 7,720 teaching vacancies to replace teachers exiting service through natural attrition,” the notice read.
Applications opened on November 10 and will close at midnight on November 23, 2026. Interested candidates must submit their applications online through the TSC website or the Teachers Online portal. The Commission has emphasised that manual applications will not be accepted.
To qualify, applicants must be Kenyan citizens and registered teachers with the Commission. Primary school candidates must possess at least a Primary Teacher Education (P1) certificate, while those seeking junior and secondary school positions must hold a minimum Diploma in Education.
The Commission has indicated that preference will be given to applicants who have not previously been employed by TSC.
Successful candidates must complete only one Application for Employment Form, with the Commission warning that submitting multiple forms will lead to automatic disqualification.
“The recruitment exercise is free of charge. The Teachers Service Commission forewarns applicants against fraudsters who might extort money from unsuspecting persons purporting to assist in recruitment,” the Commission cautioned.
Candidates shortlisted for interviews will be required to present original academic and professional certificates.
TSC also noted that successful applicants could be posted anywhere in the country, regardless of the county where they were interviewed, though those filling junior school replacement vacancies will be posted to the specific schools where the positions arose.
The latest recruitment drive comes amid a persistent nationwide teacher shortage that has complicated the rollout of Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
TSC estimates the country faces an overall deficit of approximately 96,345 teachers, comprising 38,054 in primary schools and 58,291 in post-primary institutions.
The staffing crisis has been particularly acute in junior schools, which alone have a deficit of at least 72,000 teachers, according to a 2025 education sector assessment.
The shortage has intensified as the first cohort of Grade 9 learners prepares to transition to senior school under the CBC framework.
Acting TSC CEO Evelyn Mitei previously told Parliament that the transition from the 8-4-4 system had created a surplus of primary school teachers even as shortages persisted in junior and senior schools.
“With the transition of learners to Junior Secondary, there is reduced demand at primary level, but new pathways in upper levels require additional teachers,” she said in February.
The government has sought to frame its recruitment record as historic. In October, President William Ruto announced that his administration would have recruited 120,000 teachers by December 2026, describing it as the largest teacher recruitment drive in Kenya’s history.
“Since we took office, 126,462 teachers have been promoted – more than under any other previous administration,” Ruto said during World Teachers’ Day celebrations at Kasarani Gymnasium.
TSC Chairperson Jamleck Muturi has said the Commission had recruited more than 100,000 teachers over the past three years and promoted over 270,000 others as part of efforts to improve learning in public schools.
Beyond the raw numbers, the Commission faces a qualitative challenge: finding teachers qualified in the new learning areas introduced under the CBC.
In July, TSC representative Dr. Reuben Nthamburi said subjects including Building Construction, Woodwork, Media Work, Marine and Fisheries, and Home Science were facing acute shortages because they were not previously offered in teacher-training institutions.
“Those subjects have the biggest challenge because they are new and were not there before,” Nthamburi said, urging universities to align their teacher education programmes with the Commission’s framework.
The 7,720 vacancies represent an intervention to replace departing teachers while broader structural questions surrounding CBC staffing and teacher distribution remain unresolved.
The Commission has indicated that merit lists generated from this exercise may be used for subsequent recruitment within the 2026/2027 financial year.
Candidates seeking guidance on equivalent qualifications or county-level vacancy breakdowns have been directed to the Commission’s official website.
