Intern teachers to wait longer after TSC extends contracts

 A section of Junior Secondary School (J.S.S) teachers in Murang'a protests over the government reduction of capitation. [Boniface Gikandi, Standard]

Junior secondary school (JSS) intern teachers will have to wait longer before securing permanent and pensionable jobs. 

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has confirmed that the tutors will have to sign fresh one-year contracts, pushing their hopes of confirmation to at least 2027. 

In a communication to county directors, TSC Director of Staffing Antonina Lentoijoni directed that all serving JSS interns' contracts be extended from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026, under the Teachers Internship Policy. 

President William Ruto has repeatedly defended the decision to retain JSS interns for two years before confirmation, calling the model a “structured pathway” into permanent employment. 

“We engage teachers on a two-year contract as interns before they are converted to permanent and pensionable. The assurance of every intern is that at the end of every two years, there will be no negotiation but automatic conversion to PnP,” said Ruto at the Kitui State Lodge on November 13. 

The delay has deepened frustration among the more than 20,000 JSS interns who argue that they perform full teaching duties on inadequate pay of about Sh17,000 per month without medical cover or other benefits. 

“The teachers have been serving diligently despite the numerous challenges that have made their working conditions unbearable. Justice and fairness for JSS teachers must remain central,” said Husford Momanyi, secretary general for Nairobi’s interns association. 

Others have been threatening not to return to classrooms in January if not confirmed. 

“We will not renew our contracts. If we are not confirmed, we will not resume duties next year. Let’s see how STEM will be taught,” said Embakasi-based intern teacher Jane Auma. 

Lentoijoni instructed county directors to issue extension offers immediately, ensure acceptance forms are signed, verify accident covers, update the exit/extra portal, and submit county summaries by January 23, 2026. 

“Ensure that each intern confirms acceptance or decline of the offer. That is interns accepting the offer must sign the acceptance section of the offer,” she said. 

“Interns declining the offer must sign the decline section and hand over all institutional property in their custody and clear with the head of institution. Update the status of acceptance or decline for each intern in the extra/ exit portal.” 

The extension confirms what has been an open secret since July: that the government lacks the funds to absorb the interns into permanent employment. 

Appearing before the National Assembly Education Committee chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly in July, TSC Director of Finance Cheptumo Ayabei admitted that the 2025/2026 budget provided no allocation for converting intern teachers to permanent terms. 

“As we speak, that funding has not been provided, so these teachers will continue to serve for the next two years or otherwise advised,” Ayabei said. 

He added that although the commission plans to hire 20,000 more interns this year, absorption into PnP would have to wait. 

This financial year, TSC received Sh377 billion for teacher salaries and allowances, while Sh7.2 billion was set aside for stipends and hiring of additional intern teachers clear proof that the internship model remains government policy for now. 

The internship programme, originally conceived as a one-year skills development initiative, was transformed in 2023 into a mandatory two-year service period across government departments. 

That year, the State hired 46,000 intern teachers and renewed their contracts in 2024, promising absorption in 2025. The new extension has therefore sparked public outcry, with lawmakers questioning policy consistency. 

“When you were recruiting the teachers, was it one year or two years? Because you can’t bring before us a budget to recruit new intern teachers yet there’s a backlog,” Baringo North MP Benjamin Makilap said. 

TSC insist that teachers who are willing to serve an extra year must fill the declaration form while thos who will decline should also show in writing. 

Teacher unions and associations have also faulted the internship model, with the Kenya Junior School Teachers Association (KEJUSTA) calling the scheme “inhumane” and citing a recent court ruling that declared the model unconstitutional.