National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has raised an alarm about a significant shortage of teachers in rural schools, calling on the Ministry of Education to urgently implement a structured, well-coordinated redistribution of teaching staff to address the imbalance.
Speaking on Saturday at St Francis Kolongolo Girls Secondary School in Kwanza Constituency, Trans Nzoia County, Wetang’ula noted that disparities in teacher deployment across the country remain a serious concern and require immediate intervention from the relevant authorities. He pointed out that the shortages persist even as the government continues efforts to recruit additional teachers.
He stated that more than 100,000 teachers have been hired since the current administration took office, with a further 20,000 expected to be hired between June and July this year.
Wetang’ula emphasised that the challenge goes beyond hiring, stressing the need for fair and balanced distribution of teachers across all regions, especially in rural and underserved areas where shortages are most pronounced.
“The Principal here said that there are not enough teachers, and this is something that I want to take up with our Education CS.
Since President William Ruto came to power, he has employed 100,000 teachers, with an additional 20,000 set to be hired in June and July this year.
Therefore, we should not have a situation where we have an unfair ratio of teachers,” Wetang’ula said.
He observed that many schools are still grappling with understaffing, which places excessive pressure on the available teachers and ultimately affects the quality of education delivered to learners.
He further noted that such imbalances hinder efforts to improve educational standards and must be addressed urgently.
Wetang’ula reiterated that while recruitment plays a key role, effective planning is essential to ensure equitable access to teachers across the country.
He urged the Ministry of Education to work closely with the Teachers Service Commission to streamline deployment and ensure fairness.
Additionally, he called on education officials to conduct regular assessments of staffing levels and act swiftly to bridge any identified gaps.
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He said such measures would guarantee that all learners, regardless of their location, have equal opportunities to access quality education.
The Speaker also encouraged school administrators to keep reporting staffing challenges so that they can be escalated to the appropriate authorities for timely action.
By Joseph Mambili
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