Teachers may no longer have to wait for decades to reach the top of their profession if proposed reforms introducing dual career pathways and faster promotion opportunities are approved.
Under the proposed 2026 Career Progression Guidelines (CPG), the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has reduced the time required for teachers to reach the highest grade from 30 years to 18 years.
The proposed reforms will also for the first time, allow teachers to rise to the top of the profession without leaving the classroom, with the TSC introducing separate career tracks for classroom practitioners and those pursuing leadership and administrative roles.
“This is the most progressive document that has been generated by this Commission since 1960 addressing the gaps and sealing loopholes that have been there,” said TSC chairman, Dr Jamleck Muturi, during a stakeholder meeting with teachers’ unions.
Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba (left) accompanied by TSC Chairperson Jamleck Muturi at a past event.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
Under the proposed framework, all teachers will progress within a unified grading structure ranging from Teacher 9 being the entry-level grade, to Teacher 1, the highest grade.
The Commission has deliberately retained entry opportunities for teachers with different qualifications to ensure inclusivity and equal opportunity for all qualified Kenyans, including those who remain in the job market with certificate-level qualifications.
For primary school teachers, entry will begin at Teacher 9, while secondary school teachers holding diploma qualifications will enter at Teacher 8. This recognises the principle that a diploma qualification should attract the same entry grade regardless of whether the teacher serves in primary or secondary education.
On the secondary school pathway, the majority of teachers will enter at Teacher 7, particularly those who hold bachelor’s degrees. These teachers will benefit from the first common cadre promotion to Teacher 6. Beyond Teacher 6, progression will increasingly be based on demonstrated competency and performance rather than automatic advancement.
For Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs), the TSC has applied a similar structure but introduced two key adjustments to ensure order and flexibility. In practice, the majority of TTC lecturers will therefore enter at Teacher 5 and progress through the full career structure up to Teacher 1.
Dr Muturi said feedback collected from teachers across the country showed that limited career progression was the biggest source of frustration in the profession, followed by the increased workload brought about by the competency based education (CBE), which has expanded teachers' responsibilities.
Implementation of the 2018 career guidelines exposed several challenges, including disparities in remuneration among teachers, administrators and Curriculum Support Officers (CSOs), as well as unequal treatment of teachers with similar qualifications.
The framework also faced difficulties in aligning school categories with the remuneration structure, maintained a lengthy promotion ladder that delayed career progression, and combined professional teaching and administrative roles within the same career pathway.
Teachers union have until Friday to submit feedback to the TSC on the proposed 2026 guidelines in order to allow the Commission to submit an aligned document to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) for review.
Procedurally, the SRC will consult the National Treasury on the financial implications of the proposed job evaluation outcomes, and once budgetary considerations are factored in and approved, the final results will be formally communicated to the TSC.
The Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet) secretary general James Torome while welcoming the reviews on guildelines called for deeper consideration on pegging the learner numbers on the allowances that a teacher earns.
“With this ratio as a consideration, the special need education schools will struggle to attract school principals,” he said.
The Kenya National Teachers Union (Knut) deputy secretary general Hesbon Otieno raised concerns over how the framework will accommodate younger, highly ambitious teachers who attain higher qualifications early in their careers and progress more rapidly than their peers.
“How does the framework accommodate such teachers so that they are not demoralised or disadvantaged by timing differences in qualification attainment,” he posed.
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) chairman Omboko Milemba said there is need to carefully review the salary structure to ensure balance and fairness across job levels.
From left: Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Secretary General Akello Misori, Chairman Omboko Milemba, and National Vice Chairman Julius Korir address journalists during a press conference along 3rd Parklands Avenue in Nairobi on March 5, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
“The current distribution indicates disparities between certain grades, with compression at some levels and significant gaps at others. These imbalances contribute to dissatisfaction, particularly in the middle job groups where many of the challenges are concentrated,” he said.
The collaborative approach in coming up with a CPG is a strategy by the Commission to ensure shared responsibility throughout the process. It also fulfils the requirement under the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to conclude the review of the Career Progression Guidelines by June 30, 2026.
The CPG outlines the academic and professional criteria for a teacher’s career advancement, linking progression to his/her performance and professional conduct.
The Schemes of Service which was officially replaced by the career guildelines in 2018 was a structured, qualification-based framework, that emphasised academic achievement, years of service, and professional development as the basis for promotion.
