TSC Removes Payment of Hardship Allowance in Some Counties

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The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has made an official announcement to remove payment of hardship allowance in some sub-counties that they previously listed as hardship areas.

TSC commenced the process of mapping and reviewing the hardship regions in the country at some point in September 2020.

The scrapping of the payments for teachers in the areas removed from the list of hardship areas is likely to begin on 1st December this year (2020).

TSC officers went to various sub-counties to assess and collect information for centers that TSC will exclude because of the development achieved in those areas over time. Other areas are set to be included due to the prevailing conditions that are likely to discourage teachers from working in those areas.

TSC brought in the Hardship allowance as an incentive for teachers and other public office workers who work in those places to compensate for the lack of social amenities, challenging surroundings, and infrastructure.

World Bank Pushed TSC to Remove Hardship Allowances to Save Ksh. 3 Billion

Three months ago, the World Bank urged for the removal of hardship allowances paid to employees of the government to save around Ksh. 3 Billion as part of cutting the costs to get the country back on track after the encroachment of the COVID-19 pandemic stretched spending.

The World Bank argues that areas listed as hardship areas decades ago have developed their social amenities and infrastructure over time and are no longer in the category of hardship areas.

“The review of hardship zones is required as many places have developed their infrastructure and social amenities in the last two decades and are no longer classified as hardship areas,” read a report from the World Bank on Kenya Public Expenditure Review.

TSC has listed some counties as hardship areas but has not captured schools or sub-counties as areas of hardship.

Counties previously listed as hardship areas by TSC are Taita Taveta, Garissa, Kilifi, Kwale, Narok, Mandera, Marsabit, Wajir, Turkana, Samburu, Lamu, Isiolo, Tana River, and West Pokot.

TSC Hardship Allowance Rates Per Job Group or Grade

TSC pays teachers hardship allowances according to job groups or grades as shown below:

S/NO	Job Group	Grade	T/Scale	Hardship allowance
1.		G	C1	6	8200
2.		H	C2	7	10900
3.			C3	8	12300
4.		K	C4	9	14650
5.		L	C5	10	17100
6.		M	D1	11	27300
7.		N	D2	12	27300
8.		P	D3	13	31500
9.		O	D4	14	31500
10.		R	D5	15	38100

There have been calls for TSC to have a relook and enlist new areas as hardship zones after extreme and harsh conditions such as drought, insecurity, drought, floods and landslides discourages from working effectively.

For instance, in August 2018, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) pushed the Government to declare the Suba Region a hardship area. KNUT officials led by Suba Branch Executive Secretary Richard Ng’ong’o and their Chairperson Stephen Maemba explained that Suba Region has a lot of physical challenges that make it difficult for teachers to work in an effective manner.

“Poor road network make schools inaccessible every time it rains. As far as KNUT leadership is concerned, Suba Regions consist of Suba South and Suba North sub-counties in Homa Bay County. Teachers who operate in Suba South County experience difficulty because the road is not tarmacked since Kenya gained Independence,” said Mr. Ng’ong’o.

In Kwale County, KNUT and political leaders have pushed the government to declare Lungalunga Sub-county a hardship area so that teachers get paid the hardship allowance that they deserve.

As of 2012, TSC has 38 areas listed and approved as a hardship. TSC the allowance was paid at the rate of 30 percent of their basic salary. The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) in December 2014 when they did a review on the hardship allowance that meant TSC paid hardship allowance based on basic allowance abolished and adopted payment on a flat rate basis.

This new development is coming as a shocker to many teachers who used to service their hardship allowances on loans.