The teachers, who were hired on internship terms in November 2024, said their one-year contracts are about to end in December, yet they have not received any official communication from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) about their future.
According to the teachers, the situation has caused fear and stress among many of them who depend on the job to take care of their families.
They said that since January 2025, they have been earning only Ksh17,000 per month, an amount they described as too little to meet daily needs such as rent, food, and transport.
One of the teachers said, “We love teaching and want to continue serving our learners, but we also need job security. We cannot keep living with uncertainty every year.”
The teachers were joined in their protest by local leaders, civil society groups, and union officials.
The groups urged the government to honor its promise of employing all JSS teachers permanently and to stop extending the internship program.
They also criticized the government for not allocating enough money in the 2025/2026 budget to employ the teachers.
They argued that keeping qualified teachers on short-term contracts weakens education standards and demotivates staff.
Acting TSC CEO Eveleen Mitei has not yet given a clear statement on the matter.
However, during the World Teachers’ Day celebration in October, she said the commission was still discussing the issue with the Ministry of Education.
President William Ruto and Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba have repeatedly said that 24,000 new teachers will be recruited in January 2026.
Still, the government has not explained how many of those positions will go to JSS teachers.
Meanwhile, public schools continue to suffer from teacher shortages, especially in rural and remote areas.
The Murang’a teachers say they will continue pushing for their rights until the government gives them permanent employment and fair pay.
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Education