Why Kenya Has Over 900,000 Teachers but Less Than Half Are Employed
Despite having hundreds of thousands of trained teachers, Kenya’s public schools remain understaffed. Here’s why.
Kenya’s education sector presents a troubling paradox: over 900,000 registered teachers, yet only 434,337 are employed by the Teachers Service Commission.
This gap has persisted for years, driven by budget constraints, policy delays, and decentralization challenges. While the country continues producing teachers at high rates, recruitment has failed to keep pace.
A significant portion of registered teachers are trained for primary education, yet Early Childhood Development (ECD) is now a devolved function managed by counties — many of which lack funds to hire.
At the same time, public schools are understaffed, particularly in Junior and Senior School levels. The result is overcrowded classrooms and reliance on non-TSC-paid staff.
TSC’s staffing data reveals the strain: over 110,000 teachers work in private institutions, while public schools struggle to meet minimum staffing ratios.
Without increased funding, the employment gap will continue widening — regardless of how many teachers Kenya trains.
