Ruto pledges 50,000 teacher promotions and new career framework within two weeks
The president’s World Teachers’ Day commitments come backed by Kenya’s largest-ever education budget
By John Kimani
President William Ruto yesterday promised teachers a new career progression framework within two weeks and announced that promotions for the year would be scaled up to 50,000 — the largest single-year exercise in the history of the Teachers Service Commission — as he joined thousands of educators at Kasarani Gymnasium in Nairobi to mark World Teachers’ Day 2026.
Ruto said the Salaries and Remuneration Commission had concluded its evaluation of the proposed career progression guidelines and that implementation was imminent. The announcement came alongside a commitment to double the teacher promotion budget from KSh1B to KSh2B, building on the 34,016 promotions already advertised.
“We celebrate our teachers as the heroes and patriots of our nation. They do more than teach our children. They shape the people who build Kenya,” Ruto said.
The pledges are underpinned by a record KSh784.5B education allocation in the 2026/27 budget — the largest single-sector share in the national budget — of which KSh424.3B goes directly to the Teachers Service Commission to cover salaries and recruitment.
With August 2027 elections drawing near, the timing of the commitments will not be lost on Kenya’s 350,000-strong teaching workforce.
Some of the moments as captured in pictures
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