The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has stated that a total of Sh3 billion is necessary to promote over 178,000 teachers who have remained in the same job groups for years.
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The National Assembly Education Committee was informed that a funding shortfall of Sh35 billion has hampered career progression for these educators.
TSC CEO Nancy Macharia, speaking to the committee led by Vice Chairperson Eve Obara (MP, Kasipul), blamed persistent underfunding for the stagnation, noting that it has delayed the implementation of career progression guidelines.
She said the lack of sufficient funding has negatively impacted teacher morale, sparked union complaints, and contributed to a rise in teacher turnover.
In defense against accusations of favoritism in promotions, Macharia explained that only Sh2 billion was allocated for promotions across the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 financial years—far below the required Sh35 billion. During this time, 151,611 teachers were promoted: 75,090 through routine cadre advancement and 76,521 through competitive promotions.
So far in the current financial year, 25,252 teachers have been promoted based on interviews conducted earlier. However, out of thousands of applicants, 381 promotion positions advertised in November and December 2024 remain vacant due to financial and logistical challenges.
In those two months alone, the TSC received 25,633 applications—5,690 in November and 19,943 in December.
Macharia added that the commission had requested Sh2 billion for this year’s promotion exercise but was allocated only Sh1 billion by the National Treasury, which again fell short.
Her statements come amid mounting frustration from the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA), which has criticized the TSC’s quota-based promotion system as unfair and demoralizing.
