TSC Explains Why Teachers Cannot Be Promoted Every Year

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has clarified that teachers are not guaranteed annual promotions, saying career progression is guided by eligibility, qualifications and the availability of funding.

Addressing the media on August 5, Acting TSC Chief Executive Officer Evaleen Mitei said promotions are implemented in line with the commission’s established career progression guidelines and available resources, dismissing claims that delays reflect a lack of commitment to teachers’ welfare.

She explained that promotions depend on the availability of funds, rather than delays by the commission.

“I want to tell our teachers, promotion is based on career progression guidelines. Our teachers expect that if you do well in games this year, you will be promoted. The next year, you will be promoted again. That is not possible. Promotions happen based on availability of funding,” she said.

“So the delay is not because the commission is delaying based on the exercise, but sometimes the funds are not available.”

TSC Says Funding Determines Teacher Promotions

Mitei also said teachers’ participation in sports and other co-curricular activities will continue to be considered in recognizing their contributions beyond classroom teaching.

However, Mitei cautioned teachers against expecting promotions every year based on their involvement in such activities.

Mitei praised the government’s allocation of KSh2 billion for teacher promotions this year, saying the funding will facilitate the promotion of 34,016 teachers as the commission seeks to address career progression concerns.

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Promotion of Teachers

The Commission had advertised 34,016 promotion vacancies across 30 job grades for the 2026/2027 financial year.

The vacancies ranged from Senior Teacher II to Chief Principal and were open to teachers serving in public primary, junior and secondary schools, as well as teacher training colleges.

TSC had directed eligible teachers to submit their applications online through the TSC Online Portal by August 10, 2026, noting that manual applications would not be accepted.

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JSS Left Out of Promotions

On August 4, Nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri petitioned the Senate over the alleged exclusion of Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers from the ongoing Teachers Service Commission (TSC) promotion exercise.

Okenyuri sought a statement from the Senate Standing Committee on Education, describing the issue as a matter of national concern and questioning the treatment of teachers deployed to junior secondary schools.

She said concerns had emerged that qualified JSS teachers were unable to apply for promotions because the TSC online application system only recognized teachers deployed to primary and secondary schools.

“Concerns have arisen that qualified teachers serving in Junior Secondary Schools have been excluded from the exercise as the online application system recognizes teachers deployed to primary and secondary schools,” Okenyuri said.

The senator asked the committee to establish whether JSS teachers had indeed been excluded from the promotion exercise and whether the move was consistent with the commission’s human resource and career progression policies.

She also called on TSC to explain the criteria used to determine eligibility for promotion and clarify whether the current framework adequately accommodates teachers serving at the junior secondary school level.

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