Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has praised President William Ruto for overseeing the employment of more than 100,000 teachers since taking office.
Speaking on Friday, July 24, the Cabinet Secretary described the achievement as unprecedented in Kenya's history.
"Allow me, Your Excellency, Mr. President, to affirm what my friend Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo stated earlier: you are the first president to employ the highest number of teachers in Kenya's history," he said.
Wandayi compared the current recruitment figures with the previous pace of teacher employment, noting that past governments hired a significantly lower number of teachers annually.
"In the past, the government would employ a maximum of about 5,000 teachers a year. In under three and a half years, President William Ruto has employed over 100,000 teachers - and that count continues, with a commitment to hire another 20,000 next year," he added.
Read More
Wandayi highlighted the potential growth in the number of teachers employed if the current recruitment trend continues throughout Ruto’s 10-year tenure.
"Imagine the total number of teachers who will be employed in this country by the end of his 10-year tenure," he further said.
This comes months after National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi set aside Ksh4.92 billion to hire 20,000 intern teachers.
According to the proposed National Budget for the 2026/27 Financial Year, the CS set aside 4,920 million for the conversion of intern teachers to permanent and pensionable.
Following the National Assembly approval, hiring will take effect from January 1, 2027.
In addition, Mbadi budgeted Ksh8.16 billion for the provision of intern teachers in the next financial year.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) was allocated Ksh406.6 billion to pay teachers' salaries and their medical insurance between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027.
Mbadi set aside Ksh54.6 billion for free day secondary education, Ksh30.9 billion for Junior Secondary School capitation, Ksh7 billion for free primary education capitation and Ksh9.9 billion for the school feeding programme.
He proposed an allocation of Ksh56 billion to the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and another Ksh30 billion marked as 'Scholarship for University Students'.
The proposed budget for the 2026/27 Financial Year also includes a Ksh9.2 billion allotment for the scholarships of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students.
The move to set aside funds for the confirmation of intern teachers was pushed by threats by intern teachers to down their tools.
