Secondary schools across Kenya face an administrative crisis as hundreds of principals prepare to retire this year. Many lack deputy principals or acting deputies to step in. The issue particularly affects disadvantaged counties and raises concerns over curriculum implementation.
Secondary schools across Kenya are grappling with an impending administrative crisis due to the retirement of hundreds of principals this year. Many institutions currently lack substantive or acting deputy principals to assume leadership immediately upon their departure. The challenge is acute in disadvantaged counties, where promoted deputies often decline transfers.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) faces criticism for delays in promoting teachers to deputy principal roles after more than five years at one station, as per career guidelines. Promotion inconsistencies exist between counties, with some regions advancing qualified teachers while others do not. The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has warned that the leadership vacuum could disrupt learning and Competency-Based Education (CBE) syllabus coverage in senior schools.
In Trans Nzoia County, over 40 principals near retirement without deputies in place. Kwanza has 9 such cases, Trans Nzoia East 15, Trans Nzoia West 9, and Endebess 8; the latter two are hardship areas. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula recently noted a shortage of 28 teachers at Kolongolo Girls Secondary School there as evidence of broader imbalances.
Teachers urge the TSC to fill the gaps promptly to safeguard school management and learning quality. Urban schools remain overstaffed while rural areas suffer shortages, despite government claims of hiring over 100,000 teachers.