Ruto announces major education shake-up with new teachers and promotions
By Kiprono Keileb, January 7, 2026President William Ruto has unveiled a major education reform aimed at boosting learning and teaching across Kenya’s schools.
The announcement comes as pupils return to classrooms this week after a break, with new funding, promotions, and teacher recruitment set to improve the quality of education.
In a statement shared on X on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, President William Ruto said the reforms in education are transforming the delivery of learning in schools.
“Our reforms in education are transforming the delivery of learning and teaching. For the first time, we have paid KSh44 billion in capitation for primary, junior, and senior schools before institutions reopened this week. This amount represents 50 per cent of this year’s total funding,” Ruto said.
He explained that the remaining funding will be disbursed in the coming school terms to ensure a steady flow of resources.
“The remaining 30 per cent and 20 per cent will be paid in the next two terms, respectively. In addition, we have paid publishers KSh5.6 billion to ensure the timely supply of textbooks to schools nationwide,” Ruto added.
The president also highlighted progress on teacher welfare, noting that thousands of educators have been promoted to recognise their service.
“At the same time, in fulfilment of a pledge we made to our teachers, we have promoted 25,000 of them,” he said.
In a further boost to staffing, the government is bringing in 24,000 new teachers to classrooms later this month. Ruto noted that this move increases the total number of teachers hired since 2023 to 100,000, which he said would strengthen teaching and learning in schools across the country.
“This brings the total number of teachers hired since 2023 to 100,000, strengthening teaching and learning in our schools and, consequently, improving educational outcomes,” he explained.
The president received a briefing on the reforms from Education Cabinet Secretary Migosi Ogamba at State House, Nairobi. He was accompanied by Principal Secretaries Julius Bitok, responsible for Basic Education, and Esther Muoria, in charge of Technical and Vocational Education and Training, as the government detailed its steps to ensure the reforms translate into tangible improvements in classrooms.