The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has explained its decision to prioritise the promotion of elderly teachers in the 2025/2026 financial year. The commission says the move was informed by the need to ensure fairness, equity and improved service delivery within the teaching profession.

TSC Director of Staffing Antonina Lentoijoni said the commission applied a combination of factors in the promotion process, with age and performance emerging as key considerations.

According to Ms Lentoijoni, factoring in age was aimed at recognising long-serving teachers who are nearing retirement but have not had the opportunity to advance in their careers despite years of dedicated service.

“It helps to minimise cases where teachers retire without experiencing career advancement despite many years of service. Performance, on the other hand, ensures that promotion remains merit-based,” she said.

The staffing director noted that the commission has made significant progress in promoting teachers since the 2022/2023 financial year, following a long period without promotions.

“We really have to appreciate the government because promotions stalled for some time after 2017. However, from 2022/2023, we have seen consistent promotions through 2023/2024, 2024/2025 and even the last financial year. We appreciate the funds allocated by the state,” she said.

She disclosed that the most recent promotions took effect on January 1, 2026, adding that the commission expects more promotions in the current financial year following an additional budget allocation.

Read: An ageing ladder: How TSC promotion rules are locking out younger, long-serving teachers

Ms Lentoijoni attributed the increased funding to a meeting held in September 2025 at State House, Nairobi, where more than 10,000 teachers including their unions and associations, met President William Ruto to air their grievances.

In the discussions, which centred on key issues affecting teachers, including delays in promotions, particularly to Job Group D1, capitation and the teachers’ medical scheme.

“Courtesy of that visit, we now have an additional budget of Sh1 billion this financial year. So, we will see more teachers getting promoted due to the collective efforts of teachers, their associations and unions,” she said.

Available positions

However, Ms Lentoijoni pointed out that despite the additional funding, the demand for promotions far outweighs the available positions.

She explained that the Sh1 billion allocation facilitated the promotion of about 5,000 teachers. These are supplemented by promotions funded through recurrent expenditure throughout the year, bringing the total number of promoted teachers to 21,300.

“We pick what we are able to pick, at least to give opportunities for our teachers to grow,” she said.

TSC Headquarters — Teachers Service Commission (TSC) headquarters in Upper Hill, Nairobi.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

She highlighted the intense competition for promotion slots, citing the example of chief principal positions where only 99 vacancies were advertised in the latest cycle, up from 34 in the previous financial year.

“I wish you could see the number of applicants who were competing for those 99 and 34 positions. The competition is extremely high,” she said.

For promotions from Job Group D3 to D4, Ms Lentoijoni said the Commission advertised 490 positions, the highest number ever, but still faced overwhelming demand.

“For the 490 positions that were advertised last year, we had 3,498 teachers competing. This shows the magnitude of the challenge we are dealing with,” she said.

TSC Acting CEO Evaleen Mitei.

Photo credit: Pool

She further explained that the distribution of promotion slots must consider all 47 counties, as required by policy, making it even more difficult to satisfy demand.

“These positions are a national cake. When you divide them across the 47 counties, each region gets a small share, yet the number of qualified applicants is very high,” she said.

It is this imbalance, she noted, that informed the decision to prioritise elderly teachers in the latest promotion cycle.

“This financial year, we turned around and decided to promote teachers who are nearing retirement. They have been waiting for these positions for many years. While the opportunities are few, it was important to give them a chance before they exit the service,” she explained.

Read: Kuppet demands promotion of 130,000 stagnated teachers

The move, however, has attracted criticism from some quarters, with concerns that younger teachers may have been overlooked.

Ms Lentoijoni defended the process, insisting that age was not the sole criterion used in promotions.

Job group

“For us, it is about a combination of factors. Age and length of stay in a job group contribute to the score, but we also consider performance in national examinations and participation in co-curricular activities up to the national level,” she said.

She added that the age factor played a significant role during the shortlisting stage, which influenced the outcome of the most recent recruitment.

At the same time, Ms Lentoijoni acknowledged that the current Career Progression Guidelines (CPG) have presented challenges, particularly in slowing down career advancement for teachers.

Read: Reprieve for 99,000 teachers in acting roles as MPs back Bill granting allowances, confirmation

However, she assured stakeholders that the TSC has already initiated a review of the guidelines to address emerging concerns.

“We have commenced the review of the career progression guidelines. In our initial sittings, which also involved teachers, we examined the challenges and collected feedback to inform the process,” she said.

The concerns raised by teachers and school administrators include the long duration it takes to rise through the ranks, with some noting that it can take up to 30 or 40 years to become a chief principal.

These sentiments were echoed by the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association chairperson, Mr Willy Kuria and his Murang’a counterpart, Mr Stanley Gitu, who said many teachers have remained in the same job group for years.

“Some teachers have even stopped applying for promotions because they have lost hope,” said Mr Gitu.

Despite these frustrations, Ms Lentoijoni encouraged teachers to remain patient and continue applying for promotions.

She assured school administrators that the employer is working towards a lasting solution and expects to make significant progress before the end of the current financial year.

“We are committed to ensuring that teachers grow in their careers. Before the end of this financial year, we will have a solution to the promotion challenges,” she said.

She added that TSC is considering engaging the Salaries and Remuneration Commission to review teaching positions, especially in light of the increased workload brought about by the Competency-Based Curriculum.

“The nature of the job has changed with the new curriculum, and we may need to re-evaluate these roles. That is why we are thinking of involving the SRC,” she said.

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