The Teachers Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has delivered sad news to all Primary schools’ headteachers. The Commission has ruled that the Headteachers will continue to serve at job group C5 despite their management role in junior secondary schools (JSS). This was revealed by TSC and Ministry of Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Julius Ogamba who cited lack of funds as key reason for stagnation.

The primary headteachers are also acting principals in junior secondary section that comprise of Grades 7, 8 and 9.

In January TSC renewed their contract to serve in JSS for another one year till 31st December 2025.

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The headteachers through their association the Kenya Primary School Headteachers Association (KEPSHA) had agitated for enhanced pay commensurate to their responsibility of managing junior secondary schools domiciled in their institutions.

The headteachers wanted to be moved from their current C5 grade to grade D1 and progressively to D5 inline with Career Progression Guidelines (CPG) just like principals in secondary schools.

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In November 2024 the outgoing TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia while addressing the headteachers in the KEPSHA conference in Mombasa said it will not be possible to promote the headteachers without a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

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Macharia said the headteachers should submit the proposal through the teachers unions for the issue to be addressed in the CBA 2025 – 2029.

“We cannot review salaries without a formal Collective Bargaining Agreement,” Nancy Macharia told the primary school headteachers.

“With regard to additional responsibilities I have heard. These are additional responsibilities occasioned by implementation of CBC including management of junior school and noting that the same touches on terms and conditions of service. They (unions) have given us a memorandum of what we expect in the next CBA. Ask the unions to include this issue to be addressed in the CBA,” added Macharia.

However last week CS Ogamba ruled out the possibility of primary school headteachers getting enhanced pay through promotion to grade D1 due to their expanded responsibilities.

He said their terms would remain guided by the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement that TSC signed with teacher unions.

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The CS said these after meeting with top TSC officials before appearing before the Senate on Wednesday 7th May 2025.

Currently there are a total of 20,992 public junior secondary schools mostly with learners upto Grade 9.

The head teachers had in addition demanded to be compensated for the period that they have acted as managers of the junior secondary schools.

“For the last two years, we were assigned additional responsibility to head JSS. However, the government did not factor that in salary enhancement,” said former KEPSHA chairman the late Johnson Nzioka during the conference.

“Teachers say they are under immense pressure dealing with a high number of learners. Schools are understaffed as we loose some teachers to natural attrition, yet students’ number keeps going up,” stated Nzioka.

According to CS Ogamba the government is priotizing teacher recruitment to address staffing gaps in schools.

He said a total 343,485 registered teachers are not employed by the government. He also defended the TSC teacher internship programme.

The CS said the internship programme aims to develop competence with clear linkages between education, training, and practical work and that since inception in 2019, the commission has engaged 94,300 teacher interns.

“The Ministry of Education and Teachers Service Commission annually submit budgetary proposals and policy recommendations to the National Assembly Education Committee advocating for adequate funding and legislative support to facilitate the recruitment of teachers,” he said.

TSC says Primary headteachers to remain in C5, No promotion to D1

Officers from the Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission when they meet with the Deputy President on May 15, 2025. Photo/Courtesy.