Teachers who have been serving on contract as interns and those who graduated many years ago will score higher marks when the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) conducts interviews to recruit 20,000 teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.

On July 28, 2026, the TSC advertised 20,000 post-primary teaching vacancies, as part of a nationwide recruitment drive aimed at strengthening staffing in junior schools. The commission also announced 34,016 promotion opportunities for serving teachers, bringing the total number of advertised positions to 54,016.

Under guidelines signed by the TSC acting CEO Evaleen Mitei seen by Nation, applicants who have served as interns for 12 months or more continuously in the same sub-county will automatically be awarded 70 marks for their experience and service. This gives the interns a significant advantage over other candidates who have not gone through the internship programme.

The guidelines have been sent to TSC regional directors, TSC county directors, sub-county directors, curriculum support officers and heads of institutions (secretary to the board of management). They show that teachers who have served as interns for less than 12 months will receive 50 marks.

Teachers who graduated as teachers in 2010 or earlier will be awarded 20 marks, with the score falling by one mark for every subsequent year. A 2011 graduate gets 19 marks, 2012 gets 18, 2013 gets 17 and so on, with teachers who qualified in 2026 getting four marks.

According to the TSC, the year to be considered for this calculation will be the year in which an applicant satisfactorily qualified to become a teacher in accordance with commission policies, and not the year appearing on the certificate.

Applicants aged 50 years and above will receive seven marks, those aged 45 to 49 receive five marks, while those aged 44 years and below receive three marks.

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For academic and professional qualifications, graduate teachers with a Bachelor of Education degree or a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree plus a Post Graduate Diploma in Education will earn three marks for a First Class honours degree, two for Second Class and one for a Pass.

Acting TSC Chief Executive Officer Eveleen Mitei (left) and Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Chairperson Jamleck Muturi during the signing of a pact between the TSC and teachers’ unions, KNUT, KUPPET and KUSNET on the new Career Progression Guidelines at the TSC headquarters in Upper Hill, Nairobi, on June 18, 2026.

Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group

Diploma teachers can also earn a maximum of three marks, with three awarded for a Distinction, two for a Credit and one for a Pass.

The score sheet gives long-serving interns a significant advantage over other applicants competing for the same vacancies, particularly where candidates have comparable academic and professional qualifications.

The commission has also retained a preference for applicants who have not previously been employed by TSC on permanent and pensionable terms, while giving priority to candidates originating from the sub-county where the vacancy has been declared, followed by those from the wider county.

The heavy weighting given to internship experience means a candidate's performance during the internship could become one of the most decisive factors in securing a permanent teaching job.

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Ms Mitei directs that the recruitment must be conducted with transparency and accountability, with selection panels required to verify applicants' academic, professional and other documents before making their selections.

All applicants must also be legally registered teachers under Section 23(1) of the Teachers Service Commission Act. Applicants invited for interviews must present original documents and clear photocopies, including their national identification cards, teacher registration certificates, academic certificates and transcripts, KCSE and KCPE certificates and school leaving certificates.

Candidates who have retaken national examinations must provide certificates for all attempts, while those whose names differ across their documents must submit affidavits explaining the discrepancies.

The commission has further reserved at least five per cent of the advertised vacancies for teachers with disabilities. The commission has provided separate score guides, checklists and lists for applicants with disabilities, including a separate list of interviewed candidates and a running list of candidates by subject combination.

The scoring system for teachers with disabilities retains the same broad structure, with academic and professional qualifications carrying a maximum of three marks, age seven marks, length of stay since qualifying 20 marks and experience 70 marks, for a grand total of 100 marks.

Also Read: Court nullifies TSC internship programme in blow to junior school teachers plan

The guidelines also contain separate checklists for boards of management and TSC staff. They are required to sign minutes showing the number of applicants who were shortlisted from the system-generated merit list and the selection criteria used.

The acting Chief Executive Officer of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Evaleen Mitei before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education.

Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo| Nation Media Group

They will also submit a completed and signed selection score guide, certified copies of identification and academic documents, passport photographs, KNEC certification where applicable, official transcripts, teacher registration certificate, KRA PIN certificate, bank plate or card, pay point particulars form, school leaving certificates and testimonials, medical examination report in Form GP 69, SHIF printout number, NSSF card, Next of Kin form and acknowledgement of receipt of recruitment documents.

For secondary schools, the selection panel will comprise the BoM chairperson, head of institution, a subject specialist, Parent Association chairperson and a TSC sub-county director or representative.

For junior schools, the panel will comprise the TSC sub-county director, a sub-county human resource officer and a curriculum support officer.

The guidelines require successful applicants to be selected strictly from the merit list generated after interviews. County directors must verify the recruitment documents and confirm that candidates meet all conditions before issuing offers of employment.

TSC has warned that applications or employment offers based on misleading information supplied by applicants will be revoked.

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mesimiyu@ke.nationmedia.com