Kenya is facing a shortage of teachers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), especially in mathematics and physics. This is happening even though many trained teachers remain jobless, according to data from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). The gap puts the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) at risk, as untrained arts teachers are being asked to handle science subjects. Shockingly, only 21 per cent of junior secondary school teachers have proper STEM training.
The TSC admits the problem, saying that physics vacancies often attract no applicants. At the same time, MPs and education experts worry about how well the system can prepare students for STEM careers. Yet, while the TSC highlights the shortage, thousands of qualified graduates with TSC numbers are still unemployed.
It is a puzzle of our times: Classrooms cry out for science teachers, yet thousands of trained graduates sit idle, waiting for a chance to teach. Lifestyle spoke to four of them, each with the training, passion, and qualifications but still waiting for a chance.
Dream on hold
Ezekiel Mutia Mwania graduated with a Bachelor of Education in Mathematics and Physics from Moi University in 2017. Like most of his peers, he was confident that his hard-earned degree would lead him to a successful teaching career. But now, eight years after he graduated, that hope has been severely tested.
Since 2017, Ezekiel has been applying unsuccessfully for teaching positions under the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). The appointment letter he so much desires has never arrived. Across the country, there exists a silent population of qualified science teachers, especially those who graduated before 2020, who are unemployed or half-employed despite their passion and readiness to teach.
“Intern teachers under the programme earn a monthly stipend of Sh17,000. In cities, this barely covers rent, transport, and basic necessities.” Ezekiel says. “For many of us, the choice was agonising – accept an internship that cannot sustain us financially or abandon the vocation we had worked so hard to pursue.”
Some colleagues took low-paying jobs just to get by, and others abandoned teaching altogether. The irony, he notes, is heartbreaking. “Trained teachers are idle and unemployed in a country that is in so much need of science educators.
“Is it right for school heads to consider only recent graduates? What about the rest of us who are still waiting, not because we are not worthy, but because of timing and policy lapses?”
To his fellow unemployed teachers, Ezekiel says, “Your struggle is valid, so keep your dream alive. I urge those in positions of power to mend existing gaps before we lose a generation of teachers to disappointment and disillusionment.”
From engineering to teaching
Mercy Mukiri Gitonga is another graduate teacher who is passionate about mathematics. Unlike Ezekiel, her choice was influenced by bad career advice. She wanted to become an engineer, but she was advised by her teacher to study teaching, which was ‘safer.’
Mercy, 24, is an intern teacher in Kilifi County, Kenya. She teaches mathematics and physics in a junior secondary school. But getting here was not easy.
Mercy graduated with a Bachelor of Education (Science) from Kenyatta University in 2022 with mathematics and physics as her specialist subjects. “I joined Kenyatta University in 2018 and graduated with a second class upper division,” she said.
During her final year of secondary school, she was advised by her physics teacher. “He told me to consider teaching. He said the education sector wasn't as crowded as engineering, and I could get a job sooner.”
However, the journey was not as simple as she had imagined. “I had very high expectations of being absorbed by the government soon. But upon graduation, I realised that the market was filled with mathematics teachers,” Mercy said. It took almost two years before she was officially hired as an intern teacher in early 2024.
“I had applied over 15 times between April and December 2023,” she says. She applied in both the government and private institutions and worked in two schools before her current employment. She also applied for opportunities outside teaching. “There was an opening at Safaricom I applied for. They wanted accountants. There was also a human resources vacancy at TSC earlier this year. I applied for the two, but I wasn’t successful,” she reveals.
To improve her chances, Mercy considered volunteering. “I had the idea of interning at an international school. They sometimes employ assistant teachers to help with different curriculums. I wanted to learn and gain experience, but I didn't get that chance,” she said.
With all the frustration, Mercy has considered other options. “I thought I could work in NGOs and banks as an accountant, or as a school bursar,” she says.
After she graduated, the biggest challenge for Mercy was the unforgiving job market. “There are many graduates competing for very few jobs. Whether in the public or private sector, it's tough. You have to be patient and expect anything.”
Mercy thinks her university did not prepare her well enough for the job market. “When I graduated in 2022, that's when the new curriculum started. I had prepared to teach at high school level, but I was posted to junior secondary, which is very different,” she says. “The mathematics we studied at university was advanced, and we were trained to teach teenagers. But now, I'm teaching much younger children.”
Her ambition? “I would like to pursue a Master's degree so that I can be a lecturer. I'm also open to teaching or studying abroad on scholarship,” she says.
In 2021, the government launched a teaching internship programme to address the shortage of teachers in schools. The initiative was meant to offer a quick solution, giving recent graduates an entry into the profession. But for earlier graduates, the programme came too late, leaving many still struggling after years of waiting.
According to Moses Nthurima, the Deputy Secretary General of KUPPET, the shortage is most seen in the science subjects, especially mathematics and physics. He explained that while Kenya has about 106,000 secondary school teachers across all subjects, the demand is still much higher in these specific subjects.
“The government has been working to increase teacher numbers. By July 2025, over 76,000 new recruits were hired, with 24,000 more expected before the end of the year,” he said.
The main challenge, Nthurima notes, lies in the training of teachers. “Few students are enrolling for mathematics and physics courses in universities and colleges. Most institutions focus more on arts and humanities programmes, which adds to the shortage,” he said.
He further states that priority in employment is usually given to fresh graduates. These include those with diplomas or Bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and physics. Many of them are absorbed within their first year of graduation, leaving earlier graduates waiting much longer.
Funding is also a major concern. The government pays interns a monthly stipend of Sh20,000, while fully employed graduates can earn up to Sh35,000. But the money available through government capitation is limited. “The capitation cannot cover all the vacancies left by resignations. It is tied to a fixed number of teachers, which changes every year,” Nthurima explained.
Despite the pay, very few graduates apply for internship positions. Nthurima suggested that the low turnout is because the stipend cannot sustain living expenses, especially in urban areas.
Holding on amid setbacks
Sabina Mora, 29, pursued a Bachelor of Education Arts at Moi University from 2015 to 2020. She now teaches mathematics and business studies at St Reuben Young Comprehensive School, which is a private institution in Kisii. She also assists in teaching mathematics and science at the primary level. “I excelled in science at school, so I continue to teach it even in the lower classes,” she said.
Sabina had initially dreamed of being an accountant, but her cluster points stopped her from pursuing that career path. “I had to study business studies instead. But I couldn't do business alone, so I combined it with mathematics. I've always loved mathematics; it was my best subject from primary to high school.”
Finding stable employment, however, has been a big challenge. Sabina hoped to be employed within a year or two, but that didn’t happen.
Her first opportunity was at Nyango Secondary School, where she served under the Board of Management (BOM) until she received her TSC number in 2022. She then served at St. Joseph's Nyabigina Boys until August 2024, when the cash-strapped school laid off several teachers. “Payments were not timely. We could even go two months without a salary. Later, four or five of us were dismissed, and I was jobless again,” she added.
The retrenchment took place during the third term, making it nearly impossible to secure another teaching job that year. Sabina stayed at home, filling out all the internships and posted vacancies listed by the TSC. She eventually secured a position at St Reuben in January 2025, where she currently works under the school’s board of management.
She continues to apply, hoping to find an opportunity with the TSC. Certain recruitment exercises, she says, are discriminatory.
“Sometimes we are told we can't be hired in a certain area because we are not natives. That's demotivating, especially for those who live outside of their home counties. Families are being broken up because one partner has to go back to their home area to get a job.” She also spoke about allegations of corruption in the system. “Some get these jobs because they have money to grease recruiters’ hands.”
Because of these difficulties, Sabina could no longer continue her further studies. “Without a stable job, going back to school is not possible. I want to try doing business. Maybe later I will pursue further studies,” she says.
The work search, she confesses, has been exhausting. “It has impacted us financially, emotionally, and socially. Job interviews and applications eat up time and money, only for one to end up disappointed.”
Her advice to students still in school? “Education is important, but don’t think that after graduation, a job will be waiting for you. Be prepared psychologically. Get the basics, yes, but also prepare for alternatives. Out here, it is not easy.”
As Sabina continues to hold on to the teaching dream, Sheila Moraa Omwenga is questioning whether the education sector can actually sustain her dreams.
Beyond teaching
Just like Mercy, Sheila was advised to pursue education because it was “marketable.” But five years later, she is rethinking everything.
Sheila,27, works at Colomar East Africa as a sales and marketing manager in Nairobi. She studied Mathematics and Business Studies at Moi University in Eldoret, but her education journey didn’t go the way she had hoped.
“I wanted to study accounting, but my parents advised me to take education because it was considered marketable.”
Although it wasn’t her first choice, Sheila grew to love teaching. She graduated in 2020 with a second-class upper degree. “In high school, I had an A- in both mathematics and business. That helped me qualify for the course.”
After graduation, Sheila expected to get a job quickly. “It has been almost five years now. The job market changed due to the new CBC curriculum, which changed many teaching roles. We thought we would teach in secondary schools, but now we must start at junior secondary before being posted to upper levels.”
“I have considered going into data analysis, which combines mathematics and IT,” she says. “The world is changing. Most companies now need people with data skills to help them make decisions. It’s a growing field and not yet flooded.”
Although she isn’t enrolled yet, she plans to start her Master’s programme next year, focusing on data analysis. “Due to financial issues, I had to delay, but I’m planning for next year.”
Sheila has noted that location matters. “In Nairobi, the competition is too high. Most vacancies are in rural areas, so it takes longer to get a job in the city.
“If we had been told that we would be teaching in junior secondary schools when we started, we would have prepared accordingly. Now many are quitting the profession and going for other jobs.”
Sheila is driven by one thing only – the hope to learn and earn more. “My incentive is money. The more money I get, the more I'll do. To the young professionals out there, if you get stuck in your current profession, it is never too late to switch. Research, know what you want, and don't be afraid to start over.”
