The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced plans to engage the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) on improved compensation for teachers facing increased workload under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) curriculum.
Speaking during the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA)- Murang’a Chapter, the TSC Director of Staffing Antonina Lentoijoni acknowledged the growing concerns and disclosed that TSC will seek structured engagement with SRC to review teachers’ compensation in line with the evolving demands of the curriculum.
“The scope of work has expanded under CBE. As a commission, we recognise that and we will be engaging SRC on matters of compensation to ensure teachers are adequately supported,” she said.
She added that due to expanded responsibilities in schools resulting from the CBE, the Commission is keen on teacher welfare.
“Teachers are now required to undertake continuous assessments, detailed learner evaluations and increased documentation, alongside co-curricular supervision and academic delivery.” She noted
Her remarks come amid mounting calls from teachers’ unions for workload allowances and salary adjustments to reflect the added responsibilities tied to CBE implementation.
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She also explained why the commission adopted a balanced promotion formula in the 2025/2026 promotion cycle that considered age, length of service and performance, explaining that prioritising teachers nearing retirement was meant to ensure long-serving educators do not leave the profession without experiencing career progression.
“It helps to minimise cases where teachers retire without advancement despite many years of service. Performance ensures the process remains merit-based,” she said.
At the same time, TSC highlighted progress in addressing long-standing promotion backlogs. Promotions, which had stalled after 2017, resumed in the 2022/2023 financial year and have continued consistently through 2025/2026.
The most recent promotions took effect on January 1, 2026, following additional budgetary support from the National Treasury.
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Lentoijoni attributed the Ksh1 billion allocation to a September 2025 meeting at State House, Nairobi, where more than 10,000 teachers and union representatives met President William Ruto to raise concerns over delayed promotions, capitation and the teachers’ medical scheme.
The additional funding facilitated the promotion of about 5,000 teachers, contributing to a total of 21,300 promotions through both special allocations and recurrent expenditure.
Despite the progress, demand continues to far exceed available positions. In the latest cycle, only 99 chief principal posts were advertised, attracting a large pool of applicants.
Similarly, 490 vacancies for promotion from Job Group D3 to D4 drew 3,498 applicants. Lentoijoni noted that promotion slots must also be distributed equitably across all 47 counties, limiting the number available per region.
“These positions are a national cake. When shared across 47 counties, each gets a small portion, yet the number of qualified applicants remains very high,” she said.
While some critics argue younger teachers may have been disadvantaged by the age-sensitive criteria, TSC maintains that promotions are determined through a composite score including age, length of stay in a job group, performance in national examinations and participation in co-curricular activities.
By Philip Koech
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