The Teachers Service Commission has opened applications for 20,000 teacher positions in Junior Schools in a fresh recruitment drive aimed at supporting the implementation of Competency-Based Education.
The commission said the vacancies are available for qualified candidates and applications will be accepted online from Tuesday, August 18, 2026, until midnight on Monday, August 31, 2026.
Manual applications will not be accepted.
The recruitment comes as the government prepares to transition thousands of teacher interns to permanent and pensionable (P&P) terms, with the 2026-27 national budget setting aside Sh13.1 billion for the exercise.
Treasury allocated Sh4.9 billion to convert 20,000 intern teachers to P&P terms from January 2027, while another Sh8.2 billion was provided for the conversion of 24,000 newly recruited intern teachers to permanent terms from July 2027.
TSC has not clarified in the notice whether these vacancies are the same 20,000 interns earmarked for conversion in January or represent a separate recruitment exercise.
During the 2026-27 Budget Statement, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi said the conversion of the 44,000 interns would raise total number of teachers employed since 2022 to 116,000.
Applicants for the 20,000 P&P positions must be Kenyan citizens, hold at least a Diploma in Education, with a minimum mean grade of C+ (plus) and at least C+ (plus) in two teaching subjects at KCSE or its equivalent, and be registered with the TSC.
The commission has advised applicants seeking consideration on the basis of equivalent qualifications to consult its website for further guidance.
TSC said the recruitment will be conducted in accordance with its Guidelines for Recruitment of Post Primary Teachers for the 2026/2027 Financial Year.
Applicants must be unemployed and must not have a record of exiting the teaching service with the commission on disciplinary grounds.
Those selected will be required to present their original academic and professional certificates during the recruitment process.
Selection will be based strictly on merit and the number of vacancies available in each county.
Successful candidates will also be required to fill only one application form, meaning applicants should not submit multiple applications for the advertised positions.
Those selected will be retained in their current subcounties or stations.
TSC further said successful candidates will be required to teach various learning areas under the Junior School curriculum.
Details of the vacancies available in each county and subcounty are available through the commission’s website.
How to apply
The application portal will open on August 18 and close at midnight on August 31.
To submit applications, go to the TSC website under the Careers section or through the Commission’s Teachers Online platform.
The commission has emphasised that the recruitment process is free of charge and warned applicants against fraudsters who may demand money while claiming to have influence over the recruitment process.
TSC said any suspected fraudulent activity should be reported to the nearest TSC office or its headquarters or the nearest police station.
Reports can also be made to the Director of Staffing on 0202892193 or the Deputy Director of Staffing on 0202892131, or by email to director.staffing@tsc.go.ke.
TSC said it is an equal opportunity employer and encouraged persons with disabilities to apply.
Intern teachers’ legal battle
The hiring drive comes against the backdrop of a long-running dispute over the status of thousands of teachers employed under TSC’s internship programme.
The controversy centres on the treatment of fully trained and registered teachers as interns, despite performing teaching duties alongside teachers employed on permanent and pensionable terms.
In a judgement delivered on April 17, 2024, the Employment and Labour Relations Court found that TSC had violated the rights of qualified teachers by employing them as interns on inferior terms.
The court held that the commission had disguised an employment relationship by designating qualified teachers as interns and found that the arrangement subjected them to unfair labour practices and discriminatory terms.
The case was subsequently taken to the Court of Appeal, which on February 27, 2026, upheld the finding that the internship programme was discriminatory and unlawful.
The Court of Appeal’s decision put the future of about 44,000 serving intern teachers in the spotlight, with pressure mounting on the government to absorb them into permanent employment.
TSC challenged the appellate decision at the Supreme Court.
On April 30, 2026, the Supreme Court issued an interim stay suspending execution of the Court of Appeal decision pending the determination of the application before it.
The order temporarily allowed the internship arrangement to continue as the legal dispute proceeds.
