A recent report from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) sheds light on the dominance of three major tribes in Kenya’s teaching sector. The Kalenjin, Kikuyu, and Luhya communities collectively make up almost half of the 406,860 teachers on the government’s payroll. The Kalenjin lead with 73,309 teachers, followed by the Kikuyu with 64,937 and the Luhya with 60,912. This concentration reveals significant regional imbalances in public teaching jobs.
Further analysis shows the Kamba community as the fourth-largest group, followed by the Luo community. Together, these five tribes constitute 70% of the teaching sector, with a total of 294,644 teachers. The remaining 30% are distributed among 38 other communities. Notably, the TSC’s employment pattern mirrors the country’s population distribution, according to TSC Chief Executive Dr. Nancy Macharia, who emphasized the commission’s commitment to fairness, merit, and diversity.
Similarly, the TSC secretariat reflects this trend, with the Kikuyu community dominating employment, followed by the Kalenjin and Kamba communities. Gender parity is achieved in teacher employment, with efforts also made to include persons with disabilities (PWDs). The majority of teachers fall within the 30-39 age bracket, with fewer teachers in older age groups.
