Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has expressed concern over the persistent teacher shortage in hardship areas such as Kilifi, saying many government postings remain unfilled because teachers avoid these regions due to harsh living and security conditions.
Speaking during a televised interview on Tuesday night, Ogamba noted that despite the government hiring 76,000 teachers in recent years and planning to employ another 24,000 by December 2025, the problem of staffing schools in remote and insecure areas continues.
He pointed out that some teachers refuse to take up postings or even fail to apply for opportunities in these regions.
“In fact, there are instances where teachers do not even apply to be employed to come into this particular area,” he said.
To help close the gap, Ogamba revealed that the government is considering absorbing teachers already working under Boards of Management (BOMs) into the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
He said this measure, alongside rationalising deployment, would help balance teacher numbers across counties and ensure no school is left understaffed.
“Where we find that perhaps certain teachers are more in one area and less in another, we can deploy and ensure that we have covered that shortfall,” he added.
The shortage comes at a time when the government is implementing reforms in junior school education, which Ogamba said are designed to expand access to quality learning across the country.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has also highlighted the scale of recruitment under the current administration, saying it is the largest in the nation’s history.
Speaking in Nyeri on August 8, 2025, Kindiki noted that while past governments employed about 5,000 teachers annually, the current administration has already taken in 76,000.
By December, the total is expected to reach 100,000, nearly a third of all teachers hired since independence.
The teacher shortage has been linked not only to living conditions but also to security concerns in some regions.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen recently announced plans to arm chiefs and assistant chiefs in terrorism-prone areas such as Mandera by the end of the year.
He said those without prior training would undergo firearm instruction while others would be issued weapons immediately.
