The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has effectively handed school principals the driver's seat for Competency-Based Education (CBE) in Kenyan senior secondary schools — a striking shift that comes as the country confronts a shortfall of 58,590 teachers for the Grade 10 rollout that began in January 2026.
If you are a parent of a Grade 10 learner, a teacher navigating the transition, or a school leader trying to make sense of what's being asked of you, this is the plain-English version of what is happening and what it means for your 2026 school year.
What the TSC is actually saying
According to the Daily Nation, which first reported the shift in its piece "Why TSC has turned to principals to lead CBE", principals have emerged as the operational leaders of the senior-school rollout because some of the tutors TSC expected to deploy for the new pathways are simply not available in the teaching workforce yet.
TSC's own figures, reported across Daily Nation and Eastleigh Voice, put the senior-school shortfall at 58,590 teachers, concentrated in specialist pathways rather than the traditional academic subjects.
Outgoing TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia — who concluded a decade at the top of the commission — said before her departure that TSC has retooled over 458,000 teachers for CBE since the curriculum's implementation began, broken down as 229,292 primary school teachers, 75,000 junior secondary teachers and 154,292 secondary school teachers. Even so, the specialist teacher pipeline for Grade 10 has not kept pace with the pathways on paper.
Which subjects are under-staffed?
Based on TSC statements and reporting in Daily Nation and Eastleigh Voice, the subjects most affected by the specialist shortage are:
- Aviation — part of the STEM pathway; almost no schools have a qualified in-house teacher
- Marine and Fisheries — STEM pathway specialisation concentrated on the coast
- Computer Studies — high demand nationally, supply limited
- Metalwork, Building and Construction, Electricity — technical subjects previously taught mainly in TVET colleges
- Sports Science — Arts & Sports pathway
- Agriculture — specialist practical component under-covered
School principals who spoke to Education News Kenya say many schools are currently running these subjects by drawing on Board of Management (BoM) funds to hire industry professionals on short contracts — effectively turning a curriculum challenge into a school-finance one.
What TSC is doing about it
TSC has sketched out a two-track response, according to reporting in The Kenya Times:
- Partner with the Marine and Fisheries Institute in Mombasa to train technical professionals and turn them into classroom-ready instructors for marine and fisheries.
- Identify qualified TVET-trained teachers in technical subjects like metalwork, construction, electricity and computing, and recruit them into secondary schools through upcoming TSC adverts.
In parallel, the Ministry of Education — through Cabinet Secretary Ogamba — has confirmed in Daily Nation that all national schools will offer all three senior-school pathways (STEM; Arts & Sports; Social Sciences), using their superior facilities to cover the gap in specialist provision.
What this means for parents
Here is the part most news stories skip. The specialist teacher shortage does not affect every Grade 10 learner equally. It depends entirely on which pathway your child has been placed into and which school they are attending.
Practical steps for Grade 10 parents this term:
- Confirm the teaching arrangement. At the next PTA meeting or parents' evening, ask the principal specifically: "Is every pathway subject my child is taking being taught by a qualified teacher, and is that teacher TSC-employed or a BoM hire?"
- Build a revision backup plan. If a subject is being taught by a rotating short-contract instructor, continuity suffers. Quality revision materials at home become essential — not optional.
- Document gaps in writing. If a subject has had no teacher for more than two weeks, write to the principal and copy the TSC county director. Paper trails matter for later appeals and transfers.
- Do not panic-switch pathways. The staffing situation is improving every term as TSC recruits from TVET and trains new specialists. A mid-year pathway switch creates more problems than it solves.
What this means for teachers and principals
For principals, the operational reality is unavoidable — you are being asked to lead CBE delivery even where the specialist pipeline has not caught up. That means:
- Tight BoM budgeting to fund specialist instructors where TSC has not yet deployed
- Clear documentation of teaching arrangements for audit and inspection purposes
- Being the interface between frustrated parents and a centralised system that is still staffing up
- Continuous professional development — TSC now requires a master's degree for principals and deputies going forward
For teachers eyeing the new openings, the opportunity is real: TSC has signalled that TVET-trained professionals will be prioritised in the next round of recruitment for specialist subjects. If you hold a TVET qualification in metalwork, construction, electricity, computing or similar, watch for the next TSC advert — eligibility is widening.
How we can help
We built cbcedukenya.com precisely for moments like this. When the classroom system is stretched, the home-study system has to pick up the slack. Here is what's available:
- Holiday Revision Packs — Grade 10 all-subjects PDFs for KSH 40 per grade, covering every pathway
- Grade 10 materials — notes, schemes of work, exams, marking schemes
- Agriculture, Computer Studies and specialist subject materials where schools may have delivery gaps
- Ministry Guidelines — original KICD curriculum designs, free to download
Our take
The decision to lean on principals is honest — TSC is acknowledging publicly what principals have been saying privately for a year: the specialist pipeline for CBE pathways was never going to be ready by January 2026. What matters now is how transparently the gap is managed. Parents who ask specific questions and document specific answers will get better outcomes for their children than parents who wait for the system to catch up on its own.
If you have concerns about your child's Grade 10 teacher arrangements, reply to this article's comment or reach us on WhatsApp 0711 344 702. We track these stories as they develop and we will keep this piece updated as TSC rolls out the TVET recruitment wave.
Sources consulted: Daily Nation (TSC turns to principals, 58,590 teacher shortfall, Grade 10 STEM crisis, Ogamba on national schools pathways); Eastleigh Voice (TSC 58,590 figure, principals warn of shortage); The Kenya Times (TSC to recruit from TVET); Education News Kenya (principals sound alarm on STEM). All quoted facts are attributed to their original reporting outlets. Our analysis and recommendations are our own.