The recent news that 46,000 Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers in Kenya will be confirmed in 2025 has elicited mixed reactions.
Early this year, the Teachers Service Commission hired 26,000 teachers to serve as interns for JSS. Another 20,000 intern teachers were added in September.
Although this came as good news for teachers who had stayed for several years without employment, the work environment has really demoralized these intern teachers. While they work under the instruction of primary school heads, they still get paid a meager 17,000 KES.
However, there is hope for them because once they are confirmed to work under permanent and pensionable (PnP) terms, they will start earning a little higher salaries.
So how much does a PnP secondary school teacher earn compared to other east African countries?
A quick research in each of the five EA countries shows that Kenyan teachers are among the most paid, almost equaling Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania, which are the best earners in that order.
| Â | Lowest Earner | Highest Earner |
| Kenya | 26,000 | 136,000 |
| Uganda | 15,000 | 105,000 |
| Tanzania | 24,290 | 155,530 |
| Rwanda | 27,800 | 80,000 |
| Burundi | 28,156 | 82,800 |
Ugandan teachers are the least paid with a minimum of KES15,000 per month while Burundi pays its teachers the highest salary at KES28,000.
Notwithstanding, Kenyan teachers+ should be paid much higher salaries considering that it has the highest cost of living and the largest GDP in the region.
