- KNUT wants President William Ruto to intervene in the recruitment of ageing unemployed P1 teachers.
- The union says many have reached 40 years and above after waiting years for employment.
- It wants TSC to implement affirmative measures to prevent trained teachers from missing employment opportunities.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has asked President William Ruto to intervene and declare affirmative employment of P1 teachers in the coming recruitment to ensure they are not left out because of age.
Speaking at Hema Chitago Junior Secondary School, Masaba South Branch Executive Secretary Gilbert Onkoba said most of the P1 teachers who are still at home unemployed have attained 40 years and above. He noted that if they are not employed soon, their professional qualifications will be wasted because the age of retirement will catch up with them before they benefit from government employment.
“We ask the President to intervene and ask the TSC to employ this calibre of teachers affirmatively,” Onkoba said.
He added that many of the teachers graduated years ago and have been waiting for opportunities while their chances continue to shrink.
State House pledges
The unionist also reminded the President to honour the pledge he made when he met over 10,000 teachers at State House in September 2025.
During that meeting, President Ruto acknowledged that many teachers had stagnated in the same job group for 10 to 20 years. To address this, he directed that the budget for promotions be doubled from KSh1 billion to KSh2 billion annually. This is expected to raise the number of teachers promoted each year from 25,000 to 50,000.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki in May 2026 also confirmed that funds had been set aside in the 2026/27 budget for the promotion of 50,000 teachers.
On recruitment, the President directed the Teachers Service Commission to adopt a “first out, first in” model starting December 2025, so that those who have waited longest since graduation are prioritised.
He further asked TSC to provide data on teachers aged 45 and above who have never been posted, with a plan to be designed within 60 days to explore their absorption, possibly through affirmative action.
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Other pledges made during the State House meeting included the permanent employment of 20,000 teacher interns and a review of the Career Progression Guidelines to remove bottlenecks that have delayed teachers’ growth.
Onkoba said KNUT is now waiting for TSC to implement the affirmative action component of the pledge, arguing that P1 teachers who have trained for the profession deserve a chance before time runs out.
By Enock Okong’o
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