President William Ruto has announced an additional Sh4 billion to facilitate teachers’ career progression following the approval of new guidelines negotiated between the government, Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and unions.
Ruto revealed that the revised career progression guidelines had been concluded two days ago and subsequently approved by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), paving the way for their implementation.
He also announced that 50,000 teachers would be promoted during the current financial year in what he described as the largest single-year promotion exercise in the country's history.
"The new career progression guidelines that we agreed with the Teachers Service Commission and the unions were concluded two days ago and approved," Ruto said in Mombasa Wednesday.
He added: "The Salaries and Remuneration Commission, the body mandated to look into such regulations, has now approved, and the Government of Kenya is going to provide another Sh4 billion to facilitate career progression of our teachers."
The announcement addresses one of the longstanding concerns raised by teachers over professional advancement, with unions repeatedly calling for the removal of bottlenecks that have limited progression within the teaching service.
Ruto made the announcement during the Kenya Comprehensive School Heads Association National Annual General Meeting, where he outlined the government's investment in education and efforts to improve teachers' welfare.
"I know that was the most important question you wanted to ask. But you also know that I am a good student, and I do my homework," he told the school heads.
The President said the government had also stepped up teacher recruitment to address shortages that have affected learning institutions across the country.
He recalled that Kenya faced a shortage of 116,000 teachers in 2022, with previous administrations recruiting approximately 5,000 teachers annually.
"In four years, we have recruited 100,000 teachers, and another 20,000 will join in December this year. This will be the largest expansion of the teaching workforce in our nation's history," he said.
Ruto argued that increasing the number of teachers must go hand in hand with improving their working conditions and professional development.
"Numbers alone do not make a profession," he said, pointing to promotions, medical insurance and access to affordable housing as other interventions aimed at supporting teachers.
He said the government had expanded medical coverage for teachers and their dependants through the Social Health Authority, with more than 1.3 million beneficiaries covered under the teachers' medical scheme.
The programme comprises 426,000 principal members and 887,000 dependants, with access to more than 4,000 health facilities countrywide, up from about 900 previously.
The President said outpatient benefits range between Sh150,000 and Sh450,000, while inpatient cover extends to Sh3 million.
The package also includes maternity, dental, optical, last-expense and overseas treatment benefits.
"I deliberately worked on this programme because I know the kind of sacrifices teachers make for them to teach our children," he said.
Ruto said the government wanted teachers to concentrate on their responsibility of educating and mentoring learners while receiving better professional and social protection.
He also directed the Education Ministry and TSC to review school capitation and submit a report by January next year, signalling further changes to education financing.
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