Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has announced that 24,000 newly recruited intern teachers will be converted to permanent and pensionable terms from July 2027.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Speaking while presenting the 2026/27 Budget Statement in Parliament on Thursday, Mbadi said the move forms part of a broader effort to strengthen the education sector and address teacher shortages across the country.

"Further, the newly recruited 24,000 intern teachers will be converted into permanent and pensionable in July 2027," Mbadi told Parliament.

The announcement comes in addition to an earlier commitment by the government to convert 20,000 intern teachers to permanent and pensionable terms from January 2027.

📌 What You Need to Know

The Treasury has allocated Ksh4.9 billion to facilitate that transition.

Mbadi also revealed that the government has set aside Ksh8.2 billion to support the internship programme during the 2026/27 financial year as it continues to deploy teachers to public schools.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will receive Ksh424 billion in the proposed budget, the largest allocation in the education sector.

The conversion of the 24,000 intern teachers is expected to bring relief to thousands of young educators who have been serving under internship contracts while awaiting permanent employment.

The government has faced sustained pressure from teachers' unions and lawmakers to absorb intern teachers into permanent and pensionable positions, arguing that internship terms offer lower pay and fewer benefits than regular employment.

Many of the intern teachers have been deployed to support learning in Junior Secondary Schools following the rollout of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system, which has increased demand for teaching staff across the country.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke