A report by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has revealed the three tribes that dominate nearly half of the teaching workforce in Kenya.
The report tabled in the Senate Standing Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity indicates that the Kalenjin, Kikuyu, and Luhya communities collectively account for close to 50 percent of the 406,860 government-employed teachers.
Kalenjin community leads with 73,309 teachers, followed by the Kikuyu tribe with 64,937, and the Luhya community with 60,912 teachers.
Cumulatively, the three tribes account for 48 percent of the teaching service, revealing a significant disparity in regional representation within the public teaching sector nationwide.
According to the report, the Kamba community is the fourth most employed by TSC with 48,201 teachers, closely followed by the Luo community with 47,285 teachers.
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Overall, TSC has employed 294,644 teachers across the five communities. The report further ranks Kisii and Meru at number six and seven, with 35,236 and 25,930 teachers on the government’s payroll, respectively.
TSC has also employed 23 teachers of Arab descent, nine Kenyan Asians, three foreigners and one Kenyan European.
The communities with the lowest number are Murulle (14), El Molo (17), Gosha (20), Njemps (26), Sakuye (32), Dorobo (17), and Rendille (87).
Age-wise, the majority of teachers fall within the 30 to 39 age bracket, comprising 153,539 educators.
This is followed by those aged between 40 and 49, with 107,837 teachers, while the lowest representation is seen among teachers aged 65 to 70, numbering only 80 individuals.