Thousands of Kenyan teachers hoping for a climb up the career ladder face another year of stagnation unless the Treasury unlocks an additional Sh5 billion immediately.

In a sobering report tabled Tuesday, the National Assembly’s Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC) revealed that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is grappling with a severe funding deficit that threatens to cripple the teaching workforce’s morale just as the education sector braces for the critical Senior School rollout in 2026.

The Sh4 Billion Black Hole

The mathematics of the crisis is stark. While the TSC requires at least Sh5 billion to clear the backlog of overdue promotions, the current budget has allocated a meager Sh1 billion for the exercise.

Committee Chairperson Caroli Omondi (Suba South MP) did not mince words, warning that the shortfall has “severely” constrained the commission’s ability to implement career progression guidelines.

“The current budget is insufficient to cover the promotion of thousands of teachers who became eligible after completing three years or more in their current grade,” Omondi noted in the report. “This risks the quality of education offered to our children.”

For the ordinary teacher in a rural primary school, this bureaucratic deadlock translates to a frozen payslip. Despite rising living costs, many educators have remained in the same job group for between three and eight years, watching their purchasing power erode while their responsibilities—especially with the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC)—expand.

A System Under Strain

The CIOC report paints a picture of a sector stretched to its limit. The TSC, currently under the leadership of Acting CEO Evaleen Mitei, has admitted that the lack of funds is the primary bottleneck.

• Total Budget: The TSC received Sh378.2 billion for the 2025/2026 financial year, the bulk of which goes to recurrent salaries.
• The Deficit: The Sh1 billion allocation for promotions is a drop in the ocean compared to the Sh5 billion needed to effect meaningful change.
• The Consequence: A growing backlog of qualified teachers who are legally eligible for promotion but financially locked out.

“The commission recommends continuous budgetary provisions specifically allocated for teacher promotions to address this growing backlog and ensure career progression remains viable for serving teachers,” the TSC stated in its submission to the committee.

Interns in Limbo

The funding crisis extends beyond promotions. The report also shed light on the precarious fate of 20,000 Junior School intern teachers. Originally hoping for confirmation to permanent and pensionable terms, these educators have instead been offered a 12-month contract extension running through December 2026.

The commission cited a lack of budgetary allocation for their confirmation in the current fiscal year. This decision is likely to stoke further tensions with unions, who have long argued that the internship program is a stop-gap measure that denies qualified professionals the security of permanent employment.

The 2026 Ticking Clock

The timing of this cash crunch could not be worse. Kenya is less than a month away from the 2026 academic year, which marks the pivotal rollout of the Senior School phase of the CBC. The transition requires a motivated, well-staffed workforce to handle new, specialized subjects.

Analysts warn that if the morale issue is not addressed, the “silent strike” of demotivated teachers could be far more damaging than any picket line. When a teacher feels undervalued, the student in the classroom pays the price.

“We cannot expect world-class education outcomes from a workforce that feels stuck and forgotten,” Omondi concluded. “The Treasury must view these promotions not as a cost, but as an investment in the country’s future.”