For every four public schools in Kenya, only one is likely to be headed by a woman. That is the reality facing the country’s female teachers, who make up more than half of the teaching workforce but hold just 27 percent of school headships, a new audit by the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) has found.
The finding is contained in a report titled Teachers of Kenya: Status of Equality and Inclusion in the Teaching Workforce in Kenya, 2025, released by NGEC on July 29, 2026, following an audit conducted in June 2025. It focused exclusively on teachers employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and examined appointments across 34,630 public learning institutions comprising 24,918 primary schools, 21,488 junior schools, 9,675 secondary schools, and 37 teachers’ training colleges.
The audit covered 425,613 teachers employed by TSC as of June 2025, analyzing their distribution by gender, age, disability, and marginalization. Its objective, NGEC said, was to generate evidence-based recommendations to improve equality and inclusion in the teaching workforce.
According to the findings, women account for 50.2 per cent of teachers employed by TSC, against 49.8 per cent for men, a workforce in which women are now the slight majority. That balance disappears, however, once the audit turns to leadership. Of the 28,925 heads of public institutions nationally, only 27 per cent are women, while 73 per cent are men.
The gap is widest in primary schools, where women make up about 55 per cent of teachers but hold just 24.2 per cent of headship positions, which is the lowest share of any level examined in the audit. In junior schools, the report found that gender parity has been achieved among teaching staff, but administrative posts remain male-dominated. Secondary schools show a similar pattern: the audit notes that the top six administrative positions in these institutions are still largely occupied by men.
Speaking on the findings, TSC acknowledged that the commission continues to face challenges in growing the number of women, particularly those from marginalized communities, who qualify for and take up leadership positions.
Some female teachers have health concerns or are undergoing treatment that makes relocation to take up headship postings difficult. She added that TSC applies the constitutional principles set out under Article 232 during recruitment and selection, including consideration for marginalized groups, youth, and gender parity.
To build the audit, NGEC developed a data collection tool in collaboration with TSC to capture information on sex, age, disability status, and marginalization. TSC populated the tool using official records drawn from its Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database and its Teacher Information Management System, after which the two institutions jointly validated and analyzed the data.
The report was launched alongside three other NGEC publications, the Gender Mainstreaming in the Public Sector Report (2024/2025), the Equality and Inclusion in Boards and Top Management of State Corporations Report, and a fourth report on equality and inclusion.
NGEC chairperson Rehema Jaldesa said the evidence-based findings would guide TSC in strengthening inclusive hiring and promotion practices and would also inform policy review in other state agencies.
“The findings herein will be of value not only to the TSC in strengthening inclusive hiring and promotion practices but also to other state agencies, policymakers, and stakeholders seeking to uphold Kenya’s national values of equity and equality,” she said.
Source: National Gender and Equality Commission, “Teachers of Kenya: Status of Equality and Inclusion in the Teaching Workforce in Kenya, 2025” (released July 29, 2026);