Over 21,000 teacher promotion vacancies up for grab

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has announced 21,313 vacancies for teacher promotions across the country, marking one of the largest career advancement exercises in recent years.

The positions span leadership and senior teaching roles from Chief Principal to Senior Teacher and are part of the implementation of the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG) aimed at motivating educators and strengthening school leadership.

The TSC’s move signals an effort to address both teacher motivation and leadership quality, with the hope that filling these positions will strengthen education delivery across Kenya’s primary, secondary, and teacher training institutions.

The new vacancies are also expected to address leadership gaps in  newly upgraded schools and improve instructional supervision, especially as the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) progresses towards full implementation in senior school from January 2026.

TSC Acting CEO Dr. Everleen Mitei said the move is in line with the Commission’s commitment to reward merit and bridge leadership gaps in schools.

“These promotions are not just about career mobility, but about ensuring our schools have competent leaders who can inspire and support quality teaching and learning,” she stated.

The vacancies include Chief Principals (D4-D5) – 105 posts (Regular & TTC), Senior Principals (D3-D4) – 496 posts, Principals (D2-D3) – 676 posts, Deputy Principals II & III – 1,837 posts, Senior Lecturers (various grades) – 169 posts, Senior Curriculum Support Officers – 19 posts and Curriculum Support Officers I & II – 301 posts. Others are Headteachers & Senior Headteachers – 3,286 posts, Senior Masters (various grades) – 1,590 posts, Secondary Teachers I – 994 posts and Senior Teachers I & II – 8,256 posts

Applicants must meet set experience requirements, have satisfactory performance appraisals, and demonstrate the ability to mentor and support colleagues. Successful candidates will be posted where vacancies exist, and those appointed will need to provide valid Chapter 6 clearance documents.

Interested teachers must apply online via the TSC portal www.teachersonline.go.ke before midnight on Monday, August 25, 2025. Manual applications will not be considered. The Commission emphasized that persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

This promotion exercise comes amid longstanding concerns by teacher unions over stagnation in job groups, with some educators serving in the same grade for over a decade.

On Monday, Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Secretary General Akelo accused TSC of “paying lip service” to resolving stagnation while other public employers advanced their workers.

He demanded more than 130,000 tutors who have stayed in the same job group for more than 10 years to be promoted.

“Kuppet demands that the TSC must not be left behind. Once again, the union will send a list of all teachers who have stagnated for 10 years to the TSC and demand their immediate promotion,” he said.

Misori welcomed the announcement, calling it “a timely intervention to boost morale and retain experienced teachers in the profession.”

“Many of our members have waited for this opportunity for years. We urge TSC to ensure the process is fair, transparent, and devoid of unnecessary delays,” Misori said.

Dr. Mitei reiterated that the promotions will be strictly merit-based.

“We have clear guidelines to ensure fairness. Teachers who meet the requirements should step forward; this is their chance to advance their careers and serve at a higher level,” she added.