Ruto Makes U-Turn on Promise to Hire 116,000 Teachers

Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ezekiel Machogu announced that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) would recruit only 30,000 teachers in January 2023 compared to 58,000 as expected to bridge the staffing gap in public schools.

On his campaign trail, President William Ruto had promised to recruit 116,000 unemployed teachers within his first year in office. 

“We know that this coming year, we had promised 116,000 teachers, but because of the nature of the economy, we are going to do it progressively.

“So this coming January, we are going to recruit 30,000 teachers and will improve thereafter,” Machogu told principals at an event in Kisii School on Thursday, November 17. 

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CS Machogu explained that the dwindling economy could not allow the President’s promises to be fulfilled all at once.

“The remainder of the 116,000 promised by President William Ruto during the elections campaigns has been pushed forward due to the current economic situation,” the CS stated.

Machogu expects the new hirings to address the deficit in the teaching force, especially in anticipation of the Grade six cohort transcending into the junior secondary level.

“As we open schools in January 2023, our children who are doing their CBC exams will know whether they will be hosted in primary or secondary school following instructions from the President,” the CS detailed. 

During the commemoration of World Teachers Day on October 5,  the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) urged Ruto to keep good on his promise to employ over 58,000 teachers as pledged. 

Prior to the General Election, the president had pledged to spend Ksh25 billion annually for the transfer and recruitment of more teachers besides rolling out continued teacher training.

Ruto met with education stakeholders on June 23, 2022, and signed a charter where he promised to make notable improvements in the sector to mitigate the national teacher-student ratio gap.

The President’s Education Charter promised to bridge the 116,000 teacher deficit in public schools within the first two financial years by employing 58,000 teachers annually from the over 300,000 trained but unemployed teachers in the country.

TSC had previously decried a severe teacher deficiency in both primary and secondary schools, admitting that it was short of 114,581 teachers.

Education CS Ezekiel Machogu and President William Ruto at an event on September 5, 2022.

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Ezekiel Machogu