Over the years, teachers have been spending a lot of time on the roads protesting for better payment from the government. Luckily for them, the Kenyan National Union of Teachers (KNUT) had a challenging yet successful fight in regard to the increment of teachers’ pay. The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) agreed to increase salaries in three different phases. Timothy Nyakundi, a secondary school teacher employed by TSC, shared his insights about TSC job groups and below is the salary scale of the job groups as of 2025.
Teacher salaries and working conditions have been areas of concern, leading to periodic negotiations and adjustments by the government. These discussions ensure that teachers are fairly compensated and motivated to deliver quality education. Turn Clicks into Customers. Enroll in Our Action-Oriented Copywriting Course TSC job groups and their salary scale The education system in Kenya is managed by the Teacher Service Commission (TSC), responsible for the recruitment, deployment, and management of teachers in public schools. In an exclusive interview with TUKO.co.ke, Timothy Nyakundi, a secondary school teacher employed by TSC, noted that TSC plays a role in determining the teacher’s salaries. TSC, being the employer, has a role in determining the salaries of teachers. This is done through negotiating and signing Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) with teachers’ unions.
TSC is also responsible for promoting teachers, which affects their salary determination. Here is a breakdown of the new TSC salaries and grading system for teachers. TSC new grading system According to Nyakundi, TSC determines the teachers’ salary grades by considering the length of service, teacher performance appraisals and teachers’ involvement in co-curricular activities. He further explained that SRC determines the salary increments for teachers from time to time due to several factors. He said: SRC is mandated to determine the teachers’ salary increments and adjustments from time to time. The following factors are used to determine teachers’ salaries: Qualifications, length of stay in service, job grade, added responsibility (like administrative duties), place of work (i.e., rural, urban, or hardship areas) and nature of learners (e.g., those with special needs receive additional allowances).
The current TSC upgrading of teachers led to scrapping some job groups and merging others. Below is a table for the new TSC grading system for all teachers in Kenya. No Titles Grade T-scale 1 Chief Principal D5 T-Scale 15 2 Senior Principal D4 T-Scale 14 3 Principal and Deputy Principal I D3 T-Scale 13 4 Deputy Principal II Senior Master I Senior Lecturer I D2 T-Scale 12 5 Senior Master II Deputy Principal III Senior Head teacher Senior Lecturer II Curriculum Support Officer I D1 T-Scale 11 6 Senior Master III Senior Lecturer III Head teacher Deputy Head teacher I Curriculum Support Officer II C5 T-Scale 10 7 Senior Lecturer IV Senior Master IV SNE Senior Teacher – Primary SNE Teacher I – Secondary Deputy Head teacher II C4 T-Scale 9 8 Secondary Teacher I Lecturer I SNE Teacher I – Primary SNE Teacher II – Secondary Senior Teacher I C3 T-Scale 8 9 Secondary Teacher II SNE Teacher II – Primary Lecturer II Senior Teacher II C2 T-Scale 7 10 Secondary Teacher III Lecturer III Primary Teacher I C1 T-Scale 6 11 Primary Teacher II B5 T-Scale 5
What is the salary structure of TSC in 2025? The Teachers Service Commission enumerated the pay rise of different tutors according to their job groups for both primary and secondary school tutors. The salary scale for TSC teachers will be implemented in two phases which started on 1st July 2023. The implementation of the second phase is scheduled for July 1, 2025, for teachers currently in active service. Below is a TSC salary scale table representing the current basic salary. No Title Grade Salary 1 Chief principals Grade D5 (T-Scale 15) Ksh. 131,380 – Ksh. 159,534 2 Senior principals Grade D4 (T-Scale 14) Ksh. 118,242 – Ksh. 143,581 3 Principals Deputy principal 1 Grade D3 (T-Scale 13) Ksh. 105,182 – Ksh. 127,069 4 Deputy principal II Senior master I Grade D2 (T-Scale 12) Ksh. 92,119 – Ksh. 110,551 5 Senior master II Deputy principal III Senior head teacher Grade D1 (T-Scale 11) Ksh. 78,625 – Ksh. 95,101 6 Senior master III Senior lecturer III Head teacher Deputy head teacher I Grade C5 (T-Scale 10) Ksh. 62,272 – Ksh. 78,667 7 Senior lecturer IV Senior master IV SNE senior teacher (Primary) SNE teacher I (Secondary) Deputy head teacher II Grade C4 (T-Scale 9) Ksh. 52,308 – Ksh. 67,220 8 Secondary teacher I Lecturer I SNE teacher I (Primary) SNE teacher II (Secondary) Senior teacher I Grade C3 (T-Scale 8) Ksh. 44,412 – Ksh. 56,514 9 Secondary teacher II SNE teacher II (Primary) Lecturer II Senior teacher II Grade C2 (T-Scale 7) Ksh. 36,621 – Ksh. 45,776 10 Secondary teacher III Lecturer III Primary teacher I Grade C1 (T-Scale 6) Ksh. 28,491 – Ksh. 35,614 11 Primary teacher II Grade B5 (T-Scale 5) Ksh. 22,793 – Ksh. 28,491 READ ALSO C3 teacher salary and allowances according to TSC in 2024 C1 teacher salary in Kenya: Basic pay and allowances for Primary Teacher I Cluster points for Medical Laboratory in Kenyan universities What is the basic salary for a C1 teacher? TSC C1 salary scale ranges from Ksh. 28,491 – Ksh. 35,614. It includes secondary teacher III, lecturer III and primary teacher I.
By Venic Nyanchama, Adrianna Simwa, Clinton Nyabuto
