President William Ruto has announced that more than 44,000 intern teachers will automatically transition to permanent and pensionable employment after completing two years of service.
Speaking during a national education conference in Naivasha on Thursday, May 7, Ruto said the teachers who were recruited by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) would be absorbed into permanent positions after the two-year internship period.
The President stated that no teacher should remain on internship terms beyond the agreed duration and directed the commission to verify whether any interns had exceeded the two-year limit.
“I hope there are no teachers who have served more than two years as interns because that is not what I bargained for,” Ruto said.
According to the President, the current arrangement allows teachers to serve on contract for a maximum of two years before being confirmed on permanent and pensionable terms.
Ruto also hinted at possible future reforms to the internship programme, noting that the government could shorten the internship period if the country’s fiscal position improves.
“We can reduce it to one year, and when our situation improves further, we can hire all our teachers on permanent terms at once,” he said.
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The announcement comes amid growing pressure from intern teachers who have staged nationwide protests demanding confirmation to permanent employment. Many have threatened to boycott duties until the government addresses their concerns.
While TSC officials have confirmed that the teachers will eventually transition to permanent terms, the commission has maintained that the process depends on budgetary allocations from the National Treasury.
The protesting teachers have also opposed plans by the government to recruit additional teachers on contract terms, insisting that current interns should first be confirmed before new hires are made.
The developments follow a recent legal battle over the internship programme. In February, the Court of Appeal ruled that employing trained and registered teachers as interns on lower pay than permanently employed teachers was discriminatory and therefore unconstitutional.
However, the Supreme Court of Kenya later suspended the ruling, allowing the TSC internship programme to continue pending the determination of an appeal.
By Obegi Malack
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