- CS Opiyo Wandayi praised President Ruto’s administration for hiring over 100,000 teachers in under four years, the largest recruitment since Independence.
- The 2026/27 National Budget allocated billions, including KSh4.92 billion to confirm 20,000 intern teachers and KSh406.6 billion for salaries and medical insurance.
Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has praised President William Ruto’s administration for spearheading what he termed the largest teacher recruitment drive in Kenya’s history, noting that more than 100,000 teachers have been hired in under four years — a scale unprecedented since Independence and a milestone he described as transformative for the education sector.
Speaking on Friday, July 24, Wandayi said the Kenya Kwanza administration’s pace and scale of recruitment is unmatched, noting that it has eased staffing shortages and strengthened the rollout of Competency‑Based Education (CBE) in public schools. “You are the first president to employ the highest number of teachers in Kenya’s history,” Wandayi told Ruto, echoing remarks earlier made by Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo.
The Cabinet Secretary contrasted the current drive with previous administrations, which typically recruited about 5,000 teachers annually. “In the past, the government would employ a maximum of about 5,000 teachers a year. In under three and a half years, President William Ruto has employed more than 100,000 teachers, and that number continues to grow. The government has already committed to employing another 20,000 teachers next year,” he said.
According to Wandayi, the recruitment marks the highest number of teachers ever employed under a single presidential administration since 1963, reflecting what he termed the government’s unwavering commitment to expanding access to quality education and addressing the country’s long‑standing teacher deficit. He added that if the current momentum is sustained, Kenya could witness the most significant expansion of its teaching workforce in its post‑independence history.
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The remarks come as the 2026/27 National Budget allocates billions to strengthen the education sector. Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi set aside KSh4.92 billion to confirm 20,000 intern teachers to permanent and pensionable terms from January 1, 2027, alongside KSh8.16 billion to support engagement of interns in the next financial year.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) received KSh406.6 billion for salaries and medical insurance, one of the largest allocations to a single state agency. Other education programmes also secured substantial funding: KSh54.6 billion for Free Day Secondary Education, KSh30.9 billion for Junior Secondary School capitation, KSh7 billion for Free Primary Education, and KSh9.9 billion for the national school feeding programme.
Higher education was not left behind, with KSh56 billion allocated to the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), KSh30 billion for university scholarships, and KSh9.2 billion for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) scholarships.
The planned confirmation of intern teachers follows months of pressure from educators and unions, who have urged the government to absorb thousands of interns into permanent employment. Education stakeholders say continued recruitment is critical to improving teacher‑to‑learner ratios, enhancing curriculum delivery under CBE, and ensuring every child has access to quality instruction.
If the government recruits the additional 20,000 teachers as planned in 2027, the total number employed under Ruto’s administration will surpass 120,000, cementing what Wandayi described as the largest teacher recruitment programme ever undertaken by any Kenyan president since Independence.
By Hillary Muhalya
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