TSC CEO Nancy Macharia when she appeared before the Constitutional Implementations oversight committee at the Continental House Nairobi on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) requires Sh35.5 billion to promote over 178,000 teachers who have stagnated in the same job group for more than three years.
The commission has been struggling to promote all the teachers who are due for promotion. For each of the last two years the TSC has been receiving Sh1 billion, which has been inadequate.
Appearing before the Education Committee of the National Assembly, TSC CEO Nancy Macharia said the commission is grappling with a growing backlog of promotion cases, which has contributed to low morale and increased teacher turnover.
“Currently, there is a total of 178,881 pending promotion cases, and the commission requires an estimated budget of Sh35.4 billion to address the backlog,” said Dr Macharia.
Teacher promotions was one of the grievances when secondary school teachers went on strike in August last year. Recently, the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) demanded TSC to publish a list of all teachers who are eligible for promotion in the 2024-2025 cycle.
Career progression
TSC data shows that 66,828 teachers have remained in the same job group for up to eight years, leaving them earning less than their peers and placing them at a disadvantage in terms of perks and career progression.
An additional 9,285 teachers have been stuck in the same position for between five and seven years, while 102,768 teachers have remained in the same grade for three to five years.
Delegates follow proceedings during the Kenya Primary Schools Head Teachers Association Conference in Mombasa on November 4, 2024.
The promotions are handled in line with the Career Promotion Guidelines (CPG)for Teachers which assess the candidates objectively during interviews.
“The criterion encompasses various factors such as performance appraisal, institutional leadership experience, age and contribution to academic excellence,” Ms Macharia told Parliament.
Promotions are a critical component in the teaching profession, as they boost morale by elevating teachers to higher job groups with improved pay and benefits.
On the other hand, prolonged stagnation in the same position often leads to frustration and low motivation within the service.
“Lack of sufficient budgetary provision for promotion of teachers has impeded implementation of the CPG for teachers resulting to their stagnation,” said the CEO.
She noted that the stagnation has led to among others complaints from the teacher unions, reduced motivation, job dissatisfaction and increased turnover especially among experienced teachers.
Ms Macharia was responding to queries aired by the legislators on promotion of teachers in the service taking into account equity and regional balance.
The TSC has over the past three years promoted a total of 151, 611 teachers spread in various cadres across primary and secondary schools as well as teachers training colleges.
