Summary
The National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) audited 425,613 teachers employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) in 34,630 schools as at June 2025. Overall, 50.2% are female and 49.8% are male, but disparities persist by institution level and leadership role.
Teachers with disabilities make up 1.7% (7,219) of the workforce, below the 5% anticipated threshold. Teachers from marginalized communities are 2.5% and youth are 32.5%. Men dominate headship: 76% of primary school heads, 66% of secondary school heads and 54% of teacher training college heads are male. Female teachers make up 31% of the 62,132 STEM teachers.
Between financial years 2021/22 and 2023/24, TSC upheld 421 cases of sexual offences against learners involving teachers. Male teachers were 99% of perpetrators. No upheld case involved a learner with a disability. The report recommends stronger enforcement of the two-thirds gender principle, targeted inclusion measures and full reporting of GBV allegations.
Key findings
- The audit covered 425,613 TSC-employed teachers in 34,630 schools as at June 2025, of whom 50.2% are female and 49.8% are male.
- Teachers with disabilities are 1.7% (7,219) of TSC-employed teachers, below the anticipated 5% threshold; Junior Schools have the lowest share at 0.3% and Teacher Training Colleges the highest at 4.5%.
- Men hold most headship positions: 76% of primary school heads (21,064 heads, 24.2% female), 66% of secondary school heads (7,817 heads, 33.7% female) and 54% of Teacher Training College heads (37 heads, 46% female).
- Teachers from marginalized communities are 2.5% of the TSC workforce, but only 5% of primary school heads and 2% of secondary school heads are from these communities.
- Youth are 32.5% of TSC teachers, with 81.7% of Junior School teachers being youth and only 8% of Teacher Training College tutors; only 65 primary school heads (0.3%) and one secondary school head are youth.
- Female teachers make up 31% of the 62,132 STEM teachers employed by TSC, which may limit female learners' access to women role models in STEM.
- Of the 123,753 teachers serving as administrators, 46% are female; male administrators are 59% in Junior Schools and 61% in Secondary Schools.
- TSC upheld 421 sexual offence cases against learners involving teachers between 2021/22 and 2023/24; male teachers were 99% of perpetrators, and none of the upheld cases involved a learner with a disability.
Recommendations
- TSC should consistently enforce the not more than two-thirds gender principle across all designations and levels of education.
- TSC should continue leadership mentorship and career development opportunities that help female teachers progress into senior roles, and promote female participation in STEM.
- TSC should adopt recruitment practices that gradually raise representation of teachers with disabilities to the 5% benchmark across all levels and cadres.
- TSC should develop leadership pathways and mentorship opportunities for teachers with disabilities to grow into decision-making roles.
- TSC should test leadership and career growth programmes for young teachers and consider reviewing promotion criteria that deter youth from taking leadership positions.
- TSC should use recruitment approaches, including affirmative action, and professional development to increase participation and advancement of teachers from marginalized communities.
- TSC should track the progression of teachers from special interest groups already in employment to inform leadership planning, promotions and succession programmes.
- TSC should record and report all allegations of gender-based violence in schools, not only upheld cases, to reveal the net caseload and strengthen GBV programming.
How the study was done
NGEC developed a data collection tool, refined with TSC, covering teacher numbers by sex, age, disability status and marginalization, STEM teaching, and gender-based violence cases affecting learners. TSC completed the tool using official data from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database and the Teacher Information Management System. NGEC and TSC jointly cleaned the data, analysed it in Microsoft Excel and interpreted the results. The audit covered only TSC-employed teachers as at June 2025, excluding private institutions, county governments and boards of management.
Questions & answers
How many teachers does the Teachers Service Commission employ in Kenya?
The NGEC audit covered 425,613 teachers employed by the Teachers Service Commission as at June 2025, working in 34,630 schools. Of these teachers, 50.2% are female and 49.8% are male. They are spread across primary schools, junior schools, secondary schools and teacher training colleges.
What percentage of Kenyan teachers are women?
Women make up 50.2% of TSC-employed teachers overall. By level, about 55% of primary school teachers are female, Junior Schools have gender parity, and women are 43.2% of secondary school teachers. Women remain underrepresented in higher leadership roles and in STEM teaching.
How many teachers with disabilities are employed by TSC?
Teachers with disabilities number 7,219, or 1.7% of TSC-employed teachers, which is below the anticipated 5% threshold. Of these, 37.2% are female. Junior Schools have the lowest share at 0.3%, while Teacher Training Colleges have the highest at 4.5%.
Who leads Kenyan schools, men or women?
Men hold most headships. Males are 76% of primary school heads and 66% of secondary school heads. In teacher training colleges, 46% of the 37 heads are female, and women hold 59% of chief principal positions there.
How many women teach STEM subjects in Kenya?
Female teachers account for 31% of the 62,132 STEM teachers employed by TSC. The share is almost the same across Junior Schools, Secondary Schools and Teacher Training Colleges. The report notes this may limit female learners' exposure to women role models in STEM.
How many cases of sexual offences against learners did TSC uphold?
Between financial years 2021/22 and 2023/24, TSC upheld 421 cases of sexual offences against learners involving teachers. Male teachers were 99% of perpetrators, and female learners were the main victims of harassment, intercourse and flirtation cases. Male learners were mainly victims of sodomy.
What does the report recommend to improve equality and inclusion among teachers?
The report recommends that TSC enforce the two-thirds gender principle, mentor women into senior roles, raise representation of teachers with disabilities to 5%, review promotion criteria for youth, use affirmative action for marginalized communities, track special interest group teachers' progression, and report all GBV allegations.
