Tag Archives: TSC allowances

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Teachers in Difficult Areas Request 40% Allowance

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Teachers in Difficult Areas Request 40% Allowance

Teachers working in challenging circumstances have requested that 40 percent of their basic pay be added to their hardship allowance.

These teachers, who are affiliated with the Kenya Teachers in Hardship and Arid Areas Welfare Association (KETHAWA), are requesting a change to the upcoming collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) that will be signed prior to June 30, 2025, to include the aforementioned allowance.

KETHAWA currently observes that the hardship allowance given to teachers in remote and arid areas does not adequately address their needs.

The association claims that it is the only allowance that specifically addresses the miserable circumstances in which teachers work, including insecurity in certain areas, isolation, inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of essential services.

Teachers state that the policy does not reconsider the grant, thus they will still be discriminated against depending on their posting location.

Their colleagues who work in more conducive settings do not have the extra hardships associated with teaching in remote areas and instead enjoy better circumstances.

KETHAWA is calling on the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the appropriate government bodies to give their appeal serious consideration and make sure the new CBAs accurately reflect the challenges faced by educators in difficult areas.

According to the lobby, increasing the hardship allowance will not only encourage fairness but also inspire teachers to stay in these challenging positions for improved educational outcomes and service delivery in underserved areas.

Negotiations for new terms are now underway as the existing CBAs are set to expire on June 30, 2025. The instructors are, however, optimistic that all of their requests will be fulfilled before the due date.

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New TSC reforms to provide teachers with non-pensionable allowances

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New TSC reforms to provide teachers with non-pensionable allowances

A new measure currently before Parliament could provide legal support for allowances that teachers have long requested. It would establish a list of particular advantages and define explicit conditions for those working in acting roles.

The Teachers Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to modify the TSC Act of 2012 to establish a clear and predictable framework for allowance payments and to formalize the procedure for appointing teachers to acting positions.

The measure, which is sponsored by Mandera South MP Abdul Haro, seeks to standardize the distribution of benefits in the teaching profession and is now before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Education. It establishes crucial improvements, such a new Section 32A that specifies the requirements and procedures for assigning teachers to serve in higher roles.

The measure now includes a new “Schedule Four” that outlines nine allowances that may be permitted under certain circumstances. These include: transfer allowance, leave allowance, reader’s facilitation allowance, special school allowance, responsibility allowance, hardship allowance, commuter allowance, and housing allowance.

According to the Bill, the majority of these allowances will be non-pensionable; however, if a teacher earns the responsibility allowance up to and including their final day of service, it will be pensionable.

Additionally, in order to guarantee fairness in compensation, the suggested legislation aims to change Section 11 of the existing Act by adding a new paragraph that requires the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to speak with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) about the allowances to be paid to teachers.

In the memorandum of objects and reasons, Haro states, “The principal object of this Bill is to amend the Teachers Service Commission Act in order to provide various allowances that the Commission may pay to teachers over and above their basic pay.”

Samuel Njoroge, the Clerk of the National Assembly, has urged members of the public to share their opinions on the measure before May 9.

“In accordance with Article 118(1)(b) of the Constitution and Standing Order 127(3), the Clerk of the National Assembly hereby invites the public and stakeholders to submit memoranda on the Bill,” Njoroge stated in a public announcement.

The suggested changes come at a time when teachers’ unions are increasingly pushing for significant wage increases and improved benefits as part of the upcoming collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for 2025–2029.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) is calling for a 60 percent rise in fundamental pay and improved allowances. In addition to the establishment of a risk allowance for science instructors, the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) seeks an increase of between 50 and 100 percent.

Knut is also advocating for three incremental credits for teachers assigned to arid, semi-arid, or difficult-to-staff locations, as well as overtime pay or fixed remuneration for teachers who work during public holidays. Additionally, the union requests that the TSC provide acting allowances to teachers in roles like deputy headteacher, deputy principal, and heads of departments who have not yet been confirmed.

Members of both unions criticized them for consenting to the 2021–2025 CBA, which did not include a financial component. Since then, they have supported the decision by stating that rejecting the agreement would have resulted in a legal crisis because of statutory deadlines.

If approved, the Teachers Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2024, will likely improve transparency, equity, and motivation in the teaching profession.

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TSC Enhanced House Allowance; Good news for teachers as new Towns are elevated to Municipalities

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A section of teachers will benefit enhanced house allowances since five towns in Homa Bay County have been recommended for elevation to municipality level by an Ad-Hoc Committee.

The nine-member committee handed over a report on assessments conducted on boundaries and situations of urban centres within the county to Homa Bay County Deputy Governor Hamilton Orata and County Executive for Lands and Urban Development Roseline Odhiambo.

The report indicated that the Ad Hoc Committee had recommended five towns including Kendu Bay, Homa Bay town, Oyugis, Ndhiwa and Mbita for municipality elevation.

Consequently, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will enhance the house allowances for the teachers in the elevated towns. See the new house allowance rates for the teachers.

Speaking during the handing over ceremony, the Committee Chairperson Paul Yego from IEBC headquarters said that confirmation was the only thing left for the completion of the process.

“We have analysed the situation of the urban centres in the county that were proposed and came up with a report on the same as well as a map on the boundaries that will go a long way in the planning of the future,” said Yego.

On his part, Deputy Governor Hamilton Orata, expressed his gratitude to the committee saying that the move would change various things on how towns within the county are managed.

“In any case the towns are approved, the municipalities will each have a board in charge of monitoring their running as well as matters pertaining to planning and development,” said Orata.

The Ad Hoc Committee was appointed by the Cabinet Secretary James Macharia in August last year to establish whether the centers that had been previously proposed were qualified for the elevation.