The Teachers' Service Commission (TSC) is under intense scrutiny from education stakeholders over what is claimed to be unfair distribution of teachers to public schools in the country.
During the second National Education Conference in Naivasha over the weekend, education stakeholders raised concerns about persistent disparities, with some schools experiencing teacher surpluses while others face acute shortages.
Dr Beatrice Tonui, a member of the Multimedia University Council, ignited the storm when she revealed that during her charity works, she visited a school in Kericho County and was shocked to learn that it had 30 learners and 10 teachers.
A teacher engages Grade 10 learners in Langalanga Senior School in Nakuru County during a Chemistry lesson on February 5, 2026.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
"I visited a school and was shocked to establish that it had 30 learners and 10 teachers. This is a major problem that needs an urgent solution to ensure equity in this country, because these are important resources being misused and felt so bad. Why can the TSC not distribute our teachers equitably?” she wondered.
"I know this is not the only institution with such an issue. Notable disparities remain evident where some institutions have excess staff while others continue to operate below approved staffing norms. It is therefore necessary to undertake an immediate staff balancing exercise across the country," Dr Tonui explained.
During deliberations at the forum, it emerged that whereas some schools with fewer learners are overstaffed, others with higher numbers of learners are critically understaffed.
Several education stakeholders who spoke at the Naivasha forum want the matter sorted out to ensure equitable distribution of teachers in all schools.
"TSC must ensure that all schools, including those in rural areas get an adequate number of teachers. Equal distribution of teachers is very crucial. There is a need for balance. We cannot continue having instances where schools with two learners have ten teachers whereas other institutions are starving. The government should use technology to collect data that should then inform the decisions by TSC in staffing," said Prof Michael Ntabo Mabururu, a researcher and current Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic and Students Affairs at Rongo University.
Education Principal Secretary Prof Julius Bitok also admitted that TSC had failed to equitably distribute teachers in schools across the country.
Principal Secretary for the State Department for Basic Education Prof Julius Bitok addresses the participants at the 3rd KNEC Symposium in Nairobi on May 4, 2026.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
He emphasised that the matter needs urgent attention, stressing the need to ensure that all schools have adequate staffing to meet the new Competence Based Curriculum demands and maintain service equity.
"The issue of distribution of teachers is the elephant in the room. TSC clearly has not managed to fairly distribute teachers in schools across the country. Right now we have 458,000 employed teachers. When a survey was done in 2022, the demand for teachers was 116,000, the government has employed 100,000 and is set to employ 20,000 others. We all expected that teacher shortages will be addressed, but TSC still says they need about 200,000. This is ironic and needs urgent attention," stated Prof Bitok.
"I admit we have shortages in new fields in the CBE like aviation, electricity, woodwork and Chinese language, but proper distribution of teachers will greatly help boost the quality of education in the country. I am challenging TSC to pull up their socks. I visit schools in the country and l get to a school which has 1000 students and 100 teachers. We cannot just continue training teachers for the sake of it.We need to have this issue addressed," he explained.
However, the TSC revealed that it has put in place mechanisms to ensure proper distribution of teachers across the country.
For instance, the TSC has commenced plans to ensure proper distribution of teachers across the country, to address ongoing staffing imbalances in schools.
Dr Reuben Nthamburi, TSC director in charge of Professional Development, revealed that the teachers' employer had, for instance, written a memo requiring regional and county directors of education to implement a nationwide rationalisation plan to balance teacher distribution.
"We are keen to ensure no school remains understaffed where another school within the area has excess or adequate staffing. In junior schools, the plan will focus on resolving imbalances with regard to subject combinations. In senior schools, the deployment of teachers will target subject-specific imbalances as well as overall shortages," revealed Nthamburi.
He revealed that TSC has urged all regional and county education officials to act quickly to ensure smooth implementation of the redistribution plan.
The initiative is expected to resolve the long-standing disparities in staffing that have contributed to unequal education outcomes across different regions.
He, however, revealed that TSC has been facing challenges in its bid to fairly distribute teachers.
For instance, he claimed that the teachers' employment had its hands tied by a directive by the National Assembly stopping delocalisation of teachers.
"I want to ask the National Assembly to allow us to perform our mandate effectively. They stopped teacher delocalization and this has been a major challenge. For instance, after teachers who were teaching in Turkana left ,it has been very difficult to take them back, causing a shortage in most of the areas. We know the counties with shortages and those with extra. We can ensure equal distribution, if allowed to do so without any constraints. We have a shortage of 84,000 of the teachers we need for the new subjects and new learning areas," he explained.
In the past, the country has experienced strikes, with teachers citing burnout as a result of overwhelming workload and shortages as key grievances.
The three-day conference brought together thousands of education stakeholders, including policy makers, university dons, school administrators and development partners, to discuss reforms and the future of Kenya's education system.
The conference aims at providing a clear pathway and roadmap for the future of Kenya's new Competence Based Curriculum.
Various leaders and education stakeholders have also in the past raised concerns over unfair teacher distribution in the country.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula at a past event.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
Last month, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula raised concerns over what he termed as a continued shortage of teachers in rural schools, calling on the government to correct the "unfair” distribution of teaching staff across the country.
Wetangula, who spoke at St Francis Kolongolo Girls Secondary School in Kwanza Constituency, noted that persistent staffing imbalances were undermining learning in marginalised regions despite government efforts to address teachers' shortage in the country.
"The Ministry of Education, under Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, must urgently ensure that teacher deployment is guided by equity and actual school needs rather than preference for urban postings. There is acute shortage of teachers especially in rural schools and the imbalance should be addressed urgently to safeguard quality of education in the country," he stated.
Mr Wetang’ula argued that the situation remains unjustified despite the government having already employed more than 100,000 teachers and plans underway to recruit an additional 20,000. He noted that the continued gaps in rural institutions undermine progress made in improving the national teacher-to-learner ratio.
He further cited Kolongolo Secondary School as an example, revealing that the institution alone was facing a shortage of up to 28 teachers.
Mr Wetang’ula said it was unacceptable for such disparities to persist in rural schools while the country continues to expand its teaching workforce.
