Learning in public junior schools has been disrupted for a second week as intern teachers continue to protest and campaign for permanent and pensionable contracts.
Around 44,000 intern teachers employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) have escalated pressure on their employer by submitting a formal petition seeking immediate permanent and pensionable employment, after months of uncertainty over their future.
Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers march to demand the implementation of a court order regarding their pay and employment terms.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation
Protests intensified in Nairobi on Tuesday, with intern teachers vowing to continue demonstrating throughout the week. They accused the government of ignoring court rulings and worsening their working conditions.
Speaking during the protests, the teachers said they were angered by what they described as the government's continued disregard for previous court rulings on the legality of the internship programme.
“The reality is that we will not relent. This is impunity. We are on the streets because we are suffering and we cannot accept it,” said one of the protesting teachers.
“You know what the interns are facing in your schools, yet you are telling the intern not to go to demonstrations and threatening to report them to sub-county directors. We will not fear those threats,” said Mark Wambua, the organising secretary of the interns Nairobi.
Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers gather outside the Teachers Service Commission headquarters in Upper Hill, Nairobi on May 5, 2026. They held a protest demanding the implementation of a court order regarding pay and confirmation of permanent and pensionable terms of employment.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation
The teachers questioned why recent graduates were being employed while thousands of intern teachers, who have served in schools for over a year, were left in limbo. They also cited the mental and emotional strain caused by low pay and uncertainty, arguing that the current monthly 'stipend' of Sh17,000 is insufficient to sustain a teacher, particularly in urban areas such as Nairobi.
“If graduates are getting jobs, why are interns who have served for one year and beyond still jobless? That is unfair to teachers. These teachers are not mentally okay. There is nothing we can deliver when we are psychologically unfit,” said Mr Wambua.
Rodgers Odhiambo, the Nairobi County chairman of the Kenya Junior School Teachers Association (KEJUSTA), accused the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) of using court processes to delay justice for intern teachers. He said that the demonstrations would continue until the 44,000 intern teachers were confirmed.
Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers march along Nairobi streets on May 5, 2026 to demand the implementation of a court order regarding their pay and employment terms.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation
He warned that intern teachers, particularly those teaching science subjects, would not return to work unless their demands were met.
“We are not appealing, we are not requesting, we are demanding because that is our right. Confirm the 44,000 interns immediately. No confirmation, no science. No confirmation, no science,” he said.
The National Parents Association (NPA) has called on junior school teachers, who are engaged in an ongoing dispute with the TSC, to reconsider their industrial action. The NPA says that the prolonged standoff is having a negative impact on learners and parents.
NPA National Chairman Silas Obuhatsa said innocent children and their families are bearing the brunt of the dispute.
“Though Junior school teachers have valid points, they should understand that it's not the government losing but innocent children and their parents. As the Parents Association we are pleading with the teachers to allow their union leadership to face TSC on their behalf,” said Mr Obuhatsa.
“The union leadership has the right to demand a meeting with TSC. We NPA are ready and willing to attend the meeting to protect the interests of our children. Yesterday, we all witnessed the unions settling the SHA issues with the government. The teachers can use the same channels to face TSC and table their grievances to save the learners and parents from matters they don't know.”
Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers march along Nairobi streets on May 5, 2026 to demand the implementation of a court order regarding their pay and employment terms.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation
The remarks come as pressure continues to mount on the Teachers Service Commission and intern teachers. On May 5, the teachers submitted a formal petition demanding the immediate confirmation of all 44,000 interns to permanent and pensionable terms.
On April 30, the Supreme Court overturned a Court of Appeal ruling that had declared the teacher internship programme to be unconstitutional.
In the petition, the teachers demand recognition of their service for career progression, full employment benefits and the abolition of the internship model for qualified teachers.
“Intern teachers perform the same duties as permanently employed teachers but without equal pay, benefits (pensions and comprehensive medical cover) and job security. Equal work deserves equal treatment. The low stipend has subjected teachers to financial hardship, especially in major towns where rent and transport consume most of their earnings. Many teachers are left with nothing for basic needs, savings, emergencies and supporting dependents,” read the petition.
The situation has now spilled into classrooms, with learners reporting disruptions to lessons, incomplete syllabus coverage, and uncertainty over revision timelines ahead of upcoming examinations.
