President William Ruto has directed the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to recruit 1,800 teachers from northern Kenya as part of what he described as affirmative action aimed at correcting long-standing imbalance in education staffing.

Speaking in Banisa, Mandera County, on Saturday, April 18, 2026, the president said the government would also immediately employ 100 teachers specifically for the area to ensure schools do not lack staff when the new term begins.

He linked the move to what he called historical exclusion in teacher recruitment, saying children in northern Kenya had for years been disadvantaged whenever teachers from other regions left their posts.

“Na kwa sababu elimu ni ya muhimu, tayari nisha kubaliana na Mheshimiwa ya kwamba tutaajiri walimu mia moja mpya hapa Banisa. Walimu ngapi? Mia moja,” Ruto said.

He added that the teachers should report back when schools reopen in May 2026.

“Mheshimiwa, I hope you have submitted the names, and I want these teachers to report wakati watoto wanarudi kutoka likizo mwezi wa tano. Hao walimu mia moja nitakuwa nimewapatia mabarua waende shuleni wafundishe watoto wa hapa Banisa,” he said.

Ruto stressed that the recruitment was not limited to Banisa alone, saying the government was working on wider reforms to address inequality in education staffing across the northern region.

“Na sio Banisa pekee yake,” he said. “Ili kuondoa ile ubaguzi imekweko Kenya hii, watu wa northern Kenya waliangaika siku nyingi. Watoto wao walikosa nafasi nzuri ya kusomeshwa kwa sababu wale walimu walikuwa ni walimu wa kutoka huko kwetu.”

He argued that frequent teacher transfers had disrupted learning in the region.

“Na ikitokea shida kidogo walimu wanahama, watoto wanakua mashuleni. Siri kweli?” he asked.

New teachers’ college for the North

The president said the government would also invest in training institutions to increase the number of teachers from the region, pointing to ongoing development of a teachers’ college in northern Kenya.

“Nikawaambia hawa viongozi wetu, tujenge college ya walimu hapa northern Kenya. Mimi nataka nimshukuru Mheshimiwa Roba alianzisha ujenzi wa Teachers Training College,” he said.

Ruto said the strategy had already produced more qualified teachers from the region and that the government now intended to absorb them into public service.

“Sasa tuko na walimu wengi ambao wamehitimu kutoka northern Kenya,” he said.

He then announced the larger recruitment plan covering the entire region.

“Hawa walimu wa northern Kenya nimesema walimu elfu moja na mia nane waandikwe kazi na Teachers Service Commission,” he said.

Explaining the policy further, the president said the move was part of correcting past injustice in public service hiring.

“So as I have said, as a matter of affirmative action, 1,800 teachers will be hired in northern Kenya to correct the historical imbalance and injustice,” he said.

Ruto said the government was acting to ensure equal access to education across the country.

“That is why, as a government, to correct what happened in the past, I have instructed the Teachers Service Commission to hire 1,800 teachers so that beginning next term in May, all of them will report and make sure the children of this region are taught just like children of other parts of Kenya,” he said.

Part of wider education reforms

The announcement in Banisa comes as the government continues to expand teacher recruitment across the country under ongoing education reforms. In January 2026, President Ruto said the government had already hired thousands of teachers and promoted 25,000 others as part of efforts to strengthen learning in public schools.

He also confirmed the recruitment of 24,000 new teachers later in the month, raising the total number hired since 2023 to about 100,000.

Ruto has also been pushing targeted hiring in different communities. On April 12, 2026, he ordered the recruitment of 50 Akorino teachers nationwide during a State House meeting, saying the government would ensure fair representation in public service and respect for religious diversity. He said the previous recruitment of Akorino teachers had performed well and encouraged further inclusion.