Fate hangs in the balance for thousands of primary school teachers who scored mean grade of C (plain) in KCSE and are looking forward to be upgraded.

In a U-turn, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is now giving less consideration to P1 teachers with KCSE mean grade C (plain) who submitted their details to the Commission.

Initially TSC, through a circular, had requested details of all P1 teachers who scored mean grade C (plain) and above with at least two subjects with grade C+ and above to be captured in an Excel sheet.

Primary school headteachers were required to ensure the details are submitted to the TSC Sub County Directors.

Teachers were allowed to list upto three subjects which they scored grade C+ and above in KCSE.

However the Commission appear to have backtracked from its earlier decision following a memo it recently released.

In the memo dated 18th September, the Commission only listed teachers who scored KCSE grade C+ and above raising eyebrows among teachers who are anticipating to be trained.

In the memo TSC has listed a total of 38,849 scored grade C+ to A (plain) in KCSE.

TSC is planning to upgrade P1 teachers through training sponsored by World Bank so that they can be able to handle junior school classes.

A number of Sub County Directors and Curriculum Support Officers (CSOs) are however not blocking teachers with KCSE C (plain) from the ongoing document verification exercise.

Though TSC has not issued a contradictory statement to bar teachers with KCSE C (plain) from the upgrading exercise, the writing is on the wall

Experts argue that lowering the junior school teaching requirement from KCSE mean grade C+ to C (plain) will water down teaching standards.

Lowering the teaching requirement will also mean giving greenlight to those with KCSE grade C (plain) to teach in secondary schools.

TSC seems to be aware about this move which could be spark future conflicts in junior schools.

Currently document verification is ongoing for teachers who had forwarded their details to the Commission.

TSC CSOs are only required to confirm the declared KCSE grades. P1 teachers are required to avail the KCSE certificates for the verification exercise.

The upgrading will start in November after completion of national exams and assessments.

The Commission will issue guidelines for the training after shortlisting selected teachers per Sub County.

Below is a memo by the Commission released this week to restart the verification process.

TEACHERS SERVICE COMMISSION

INTERNAL MEMO

TO: ALL TSC REGIONAL DIRECTORS

ALL TSC COUNTY DIRECTORS

REF: TSC/DTPM/CDS/40/VOL.III/28

DATE: 18TH SEPTEMBER, 2025

UPDATED DETAILS OF TEACHERS WHOSE NAMES WERE SUBMITTED FOR THE PROPOSED UPGRADE PROGRAMME

Further to our memo to Regional Directors, REF: TSC/DTPM/CDS/40/VOL.111/2 dated 22nd August, 2025. The Commission has been processing the data submitted from the data, the following has been noted:

1) Data on 2,000 teachers whose details was submitted did not appear in our records. This implies that there were anomalies in transferring teacher details into soft.

2) Some teachers’ qualifications were different from what appears in our registration records.

3) Many teachers wrote to the Commission raising their concerns that their details were not collected during the exercise.

4) There has risen a need for further information from the teachers for further processing.

Due to the aforementioned, you are required to do the following:

1) Countercheck all the details to ensure that the teachers’ registration numbers and names are as per our records.

2) Ensure that all the teachers who meet our requirements (as earlier communicated in our memo referenced above) teaching at the primary school level are not left out.

3) Add two columns so as to collect data on the KCSE Index numbers and the year the teacher sat for KCSE (See the attached template).

The purpose for this memo is to request that you immediately facilitate the collection ofthis data and share it with the undersigned for further processing using the attached template in MS Excel format so as to reach him by Wednesday, 24th September, 2025.

DR. MUGWUKU NTHAMBURI, F. AFTRADIRECTOR TEACHER PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT

Copy to: Commission Secretary

TEACHERS SERVICE COMMISSION

SERVING PI TEACHERS BY QUALIFICATION

(N/B: ENTER ONLY THE P1 TEACHERS (TEACHING GRADE 1-6) WHO ACQUIRED EITHER A KCSE MEAN GRADE OF “C” OR “C+” AND WITH A “C+” IN AT LEAST TWO SUBJECTS BUT WITHOUT A DIPLOMA OR DEGREE CERTIFICATE) COUNTY

SINO	NAME	TSC/NO	KCSE INDEX NO.	YEAR OF SITTING FOR KCSE	SCHOOL	SUB- COUNTY	KCSE MIG	SUBJECT 1	SUBJECT 2	SUBJECT 3 (IF ANY)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Table 1:  Distribution of applicants by County and  KCSE Mean  grade

S/No.	COUNTY	KCSE GRADE (A)	KCSE GRADE (A-)	KCSE GRADE (B)	KCSE GRADE (B-)	KCSE GRADE (B+)	KCSE GRADE (C+)	GRAND TOTAL
1	Makueni			2	14		28	44
2	Lamu				13		73	86
3	Marsabit			3	23		104	130
4	Wajir			3	29	·1	118	151
5	lsiolo			3	26		124	153
6	Samburu			6	21		138	165
7	Tana-River			7	38	1	169	215
8	Mombasa			10	47		159	216
9	Mand era			10	39	2	197	248
10	Laikipia			13	61		218	292
11	Taita-Taveta			4	65		238	307
12	Garissa			8	51		254	313
13	Kirinyaga			8	59		291	358
14	Turkana			17	75		277	369
15	Embu			5	107	2	367	481
16	Kajiado			23	108		375	506
17	Nairobi			24	94	2	398	518
18	Tharaka-Nithi			16	105	1	413	535
19	Nyeri			14	104		436	554
20	Kwale			15	118	3	442	578
21	Nyamira			26	132		476	634
22	Elgeyo Marakwet	1		10	156	2	479	648
23	Kilifi			30	142	1	515	688
24	Nyandarua			25	186	2	480	693
25	Baringo			12	170	2	515	699
26	West Pokot			27	190	1	558	776
27	Uasin Gishu			24	193		598	815
28	Vihiga			40	244		579	863
29	Kiambu			22	186		671	879
30	Busi a	1		51	262	3	633	950
31	Trans Nzoia			47	255		703	1005
32	Kisii			36	242	1	727	1006
33	Kitui			79	270	2	663	1014
34	Kericho			36	270	1	722	1029
35	Bo met			57	271		733	1061
36	Nandi			51	206	4	840	1101
37	Machakos			58	323	1	749	1131
38	Narok			46	300		804	1150
39	Meru			47	300	3	909	1259

40	Migori			97	377	2	882	1358
41	Siaya			114	389	5	882	1390
42	Muranga			36	250		1124	1410
43	Kisumu			10·2	406	3	945	1456
44	Homa-Bay			100	438	1	1027	1566
45	Nakuru			69	443	3	1157	1672
46	Bungoma			13·g	657	8	1405	2208
47	Kakamega		4	243	1243	6	2673	4169
	Grand Total	1	5	1814	9698	63	27268	38849