Close to 99,000 teachers serving as acting principals, deputy principals, headteachers and senior administrators across Kenya’s public schools may complete the 2026/27 financial year without receiving a single shilling in acting allowances, after the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) disclosed that the funds needed to compensate them were left out of the national budget entirely.
Appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education, TSC Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Evaleen Mitei told lawmakers that Ksh 2.2 billion required to pay acting allowances had not been factored into the commission’s 2026/27 budget estimates, leaving tens of thousands of teachers carrying the full weight of senior administrative roles without the additional compensation those positions attract.
“However, due to lack of qualified teachers in certain areas, exits occasioned by natural attrition and administrative challenges, there are instances where teachers are called upon to perform duties of higher administrative posts, hence the need to compensate them for the same. However, no funds have been allocated for acting allowance,” Mitei said.
The disclosure deepens a long-running welfare crisis for teachers appointed to positions left vacant by retirement, transfers or delayed promotions from the commission. Many have remained in those roles for months or even years without extra pay, performing responsibilities that substantive officeholders would be financially compensated for.
Figures presented to lawmakers show that at least 3,300 school heads and deputy headteachers are serving in acting capacity, while the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) puts the broader estimate at 99,000 teachers across various acting roles including department heads and senior teachers.
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“Our analysis shows currently that as at April, there are 99,000 teachers who are acting and they are being paid nothing,” KUPPET National Chairman Omboko Milemba told the committee.
Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Collins Oyuu has also weighed in, arguing that the situation violates standard labour practice.
“It is popular labour practice that one should not act for more than six months. We have many teachers in acting capacity who cannot demand an acting allowance,” Oyuu said.
The acting allowances gap is one of several unfunded items threatening to stall the commission’s operations in the coming financial year. Mitei told MPs that the TSC’s proposed budget stands at Ksh 422.652 billion against a Budget Policy Statement (BPS) ceiling of Ksh 422.956 billion, leaving a baseline shortfall of Ksh 304 million before any of the larger funding gaps are addressed.
Field operations remain underfunded by approximately Ksh 800 million, a sum that was to cover phased procurement of motor vehicles and other operational costs.
The most significant unfunded item is a Ksh 5.3 billion comprehensive medical scheme, covering Group Life, Group Personal Accident and Work Injury Benefits Act (WIBA) insurance, which was also left out of the proposed budget. Mitei warned that failure to fund the scheme could expose the commission to legal action and deepen health risks for more than 400,000 teachers and their dependants.
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Parliament is currently processing the Teachers Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2024, introduced by Mandera South Member of Parliament (MP) Abdul Haro, which directly addresses the acting appointments crisis. The Bill proposes capping acting appointments at a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of six months, after which a position must be substantively filled.
It further requires, in consultation with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), that teachers in acting roles be paid a special duty allowance, provided they meet the qualifications for substantive appointment. A teacher would also only be permitted to act in one position at a time.
MPs backed the Bill in February 2026, describing the status quo as exploitative. Legislators argued that assigning administrative responsibilities to teachers without formal recognition or financial compensation amounts to labour abuse, and warned that prolonged acting appointments have weakened morale and disrupted succession planning in school leadership.
Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera called on the TSC to table a full accounting of the situation. “We need comprehensive data on how many teachers are in acting roles, how much they are owed, how much has been paid, and the reasons for the delayed payments,” Nabwera said.
The Education Committee is expected to table its report on the sector’s budget in the coming weeks, with lawmakers signalling they will push for the acting allowances funding gap to be addressed before the 2026/27 estimates are adopted.
By Benedict Aoya
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