CS Ogamba Reveals Timeline For Permanent Recruitment Of JSS Teachers

Twenty thousand Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers will move onto permanent and pensionable terms on January 1, 2027, Education CS Julius Ogamba has confirmed.

Appearing before the Senate on Wednesday, October 7, Ogamba said the National Treasury has set aside Ksh4.9 billion in the 2026/27 financial year to pay for the posts.

“In the financial year of 2026/2027, the National Treasury has provided funding for the recruitment of 20,000 teachers for junior schools on permanent and pensionable terms, effective January 1, 2027,” he said.

The CS’s statement backs up what President William Ruto said two days earlier, on Monday, October 5, at the World Teachers’ Day celebrations at Kasarani Stadium. Ruto had said then that 20,000 contract teachers would be absorbed from January next year.

Ogamba told senators that the government is honouring its commitments to the interns, who are still in classrooms and still receiving their monthly stipends. This follows court orders issued in April, which directed that the interns keep working until a case challenging the programme is decided.

“The Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission will continue to comply with court directives while pursuing long-term measures to address teacher staffing requirements in Junior Secondary Schools,” he added.

The remaining 24,000 interns are not yet covered. Ogamba said the ministry plans to bring them onto permanent terms gradually, but that will depend on whether more money becomes available. He said the ministry and the TSC will keep talking to the Treasury and other stakeholders to find the funds.

“We will continue to engage the National Treasury and other stakeholders with a view to securing additional resources to facilitate the gradual absorption of the remaining 24,000 intern teachers into permanent and pensionable service,” Ogamba said.

Earlier this year, Treasury CS John Mbadi told Parliament that the 24,000 interns were expected to move to permanent terms from July 2027.

Separately from the interns, Ruto has said the government intends to recruit another 20,000 teachers before the end of 2026.

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