Kindiki announces promotion of 50K teachers in new budget
By Kenneth Mwenda, May 23, 2026Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has announced that the government will promote 50,000 teachers in the coming financial year as part of wider efforts to improve working conditions in the education sector.
Speaking on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at Kenya Methodist University, Meru County, during a thanksgiving ceremony for newly elected KUPPET Meru Branch Executive Secretary Njira Muthomi, Kindiki said the decision follows increased budgetary allocation and consultations with teachers’ unions.
“We are now working on two issues, which is promotions. And when you came to State House, you had the president’s directive that we are going to review the career progression guidelines so that we compact the job groups, so that you don’t have to take a lot of time in one job group or so many steps along the way,” he said.
” And that process is ongoing. But also, there’s another commitment we made when you came to see the president in State House. And the directives were issued that we get money for promotions of teachers who are stuck without promotions for many years because of lack of money.”
“In this budget, I confirm that we have factored in money for promotions. Initially, the target was 25,000 teachers. You informed the President the number was not enough, and the government now will be promoting 50,000 teachers. And some of these teachers, the last time they were promoted was 15, 10, 12 years ago.”
Kindiki also pointed to the government’s wider education reforms since 2022, saying the administration began by setting up a presidential working party on education within 100 days of taking office. He said the team, which included representatives from teachers’ unions, students and education experts, helped shape key reforms now being implemented.
“When this government took power in 2022, the first thing President Ruto did within 100 days was to establish a presidential working party on education reforms, which was led by Professor Raphael Munabu, who died a month ago,” he said.
“And that was a team with representation from all shades of opinions, including teachers’ union, students’ bodies, educationists, and everybody else. And because of those reforms that were recommended by that presidential working party, we have been able to achieve a number of things from those recommendations and also from the manifesto that this government was elected upon.”
He highlighted steady increases in the education budget, saying funding has grown from Ksh500 billion in 2022 to Ksh702 billion in the current year, and will rise to Ksh765 billion in the next financial year.
“Number one, if you look at the overall budget for education in Kenya… it was 500 billion shillings. But we have moved that budget every year upwards. This year, the budget was 702 billion, from 500 billion to 702. Next year, it is going to be 765 billion shillings,” he said.
Major teacher hiring drive
On teacher recruitment, Kindiki said the government had identified a gap of about 116,000 teachers and has been working to close it. He said 100,000 teachers have already been employed since 2022, with a further 20,000 expected in the next financial cycle.
“Number two, we had in our manifesto and our engagement with teachers, unions, and stakeholders identified that there was a gap of 116,000 teachers… I am proud to say, until now, we have done 100,000 teachers. And after this budget for next month, we are going to add another 20,000 teachers to bring to a total of 120,000 teachers in four years,” he said.
He noted that the government has also expanded infrastructure in schools, including 23,000 classrooms and 1,600 laboratories, while also recruiting 3,300 tutors for technical and vocational institutions. He said reforms in TVET education have increased enrolment from 297,000 students in 2022 to 718,000 currently.
On healthcare, Kindiki said the government is working to improve Social Health Authority (SHA) coverage for teachers, noting that their concerns are being addressed.
“We need to improve the SHA packages for teachers. We will expedite resolution of issues raised by teachers to ensure their health is assured because it is paramount to have a healthy teacher,” he said.
He also praised teachers for their role in society, describing them as key moral guides and community influencers.
“Teachers are the only people who spend most of their time thinking about the welfare of children of other people more than they think about their own. Because of this, we salute you because you are the best examples of sacrifice for others,” he said.
Kindiki also urged teachers to use their influence to promote discipline, unity and responsible leadership among learners and in society.