The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has renewed the contracts of 20,000 junior school (JS) intern teachers for an additional 12 months, extinguishing hopes of immediate conversion to permanent and pensionable terms.
The decision—made in line with a directive from President William Ruto —has triggered outrage among the teachers and a nationwide class boycott looms when schools reopen in January.
TSC Acting Chief Executive Officer Eveleen Mitei confirmed that all serving junior school intern teachers will have their contracts extended from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026.
Ms Mitei said the extension aligns with the Teacher Internship Policy and Guidelines (2019) and is aimed at ensuring a seamless transition and avoiding disruptions in learning as the current contracts expire.
President Ruto recently said that intern teachers must serve a minimum of two years before qualifying for permanent terms—a policy he defended as a pragmatic approach to gradually addressing the country’s backlog of more than 300,000 unemployed trained teachers.
“I want to assure every intern that after two years, they will be automatically absorbed, that is the plan,” President Ruto said last month, noting that the internship programme helps the government to meet staffing targets while providing a structured career pathway for jobless teachers.
Junior Secondary School teachers hold a protest match.
Photo credit: Isaac Wale | Nation Media Group
“The Commission approved the extension of contracts for all serving junior school teacher interns for a further 12 months, with effect from 1st January 2026 to 31st December 2026 ... All interns shall remain in their current stations, subject to their formal confirmation of acceptance,” said Ms Mitei.
TSC county directors have been instructed to ensure each intern either accepts or declines the offer.
“Interns accepting the offer must sign the acceptance section of the contract and submit a valid Personal Accident Cover for the new engagement period,” the acting CEO added.
To mitigate possible disruptions, TSC has directed county officials to issue the extension letters immediately—no later than December 20—and to submit acceptance and decline reports by January 23, 2026.
County-level officials have also been mandated to submit proposals to replace any interns who decline the extension, using existing merit lists. These proposals must be accompanied by offer letters and county summaries of acceptances and declines for approval by the Commission.
Kenya Junior School Teachers Association Chairperson James Odhiambo described the move as a “profound blow” to the morale of teachers who have been instrumental in implementing the Competency-Based Education.
“We thought after going to the streets the government would have had mercy on us. Our Christmas gift was supposed to be permanent and pensionable letters,” Mr Odhiambo said, noting that the teachers have served diligently under low pay for a year. The intern teachers earn a stipend of about Sh20,000 before statutory deductions.
Mr Odhiambo said the government’s decision reflects a lack of appreciation for the teaching profession and warned of the severe emotional toll on the interns, many of whom he said were “shocked, depressed, demotivated and dejected”.
The association rejected the extension, insisting that internships should last only one year, and demanded that TSC immediately revoke the extension letters and issue permanent appointment letters.
“I don’t know if they will go back to class,” Mr Odhiambo warned, indicating that teachers are prepared to boycott duty unless the government meets their demand for permanent employment.
