At least 343,485 teachers registered with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) are not employed.
This is according to Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba.
Appearing before the Senate, the Education CS said most of them are Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers at 134,914.
“In post-primary, there are 84,510 teachers, primary is 124,061, who are not employed,” he said.
According to CS Migos, the ministry is yet to obtain data from the county government on the number of ECD teachers employed by counties, adding that the data will be shared once available.
When asked about the criteria used by the ministry to hire teachers, Migos said recruitment of teachers in the country was premised on the availability of funds and the existence of a vacancy.
“The ministry and the commission annually submit budget proposals and policy recommendations to the national assembly departmental committee in education, advocating for enough funding and legislative support to facilitate employment of teachers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ogamba said TSC usually gave priority to teachers who graduated earlier to promote fairness.