TSC allowances- The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) is planning to unveil major changes in the allowances paid to teachers and civil servants. The radical surgery will see some of the allowances being abolished and others restructured.

A 2019 study by SRC identified 247 allowances paid to public officers, which accounted for 48 per cent of the total wage bill as of 2019. This was against 31 allowances in 1999. The Public Finance Management (PFM) Act 2015 stipulates that the national government’s expenditure on the wage bill should not exceed 35 per cent of ordinary revenue.

In the current salaries review exercise SRC aims at minimizing disparities in gross remuneration package with the ultimate aim being to cap allowances at 40 per cent of basic pay.

While addressing journalists, recently, Chairperson Lyn Mengich said the new cycle may take effect six months after June, a time when the commission projects to have completed the review.

“Everybody will be affected. Some will impact more on other sectors of the employees. New employees will be affected where an allowance is being abolished. If provided for in a contractual obligation, it will not affect immediate staff enjoying that benefit,” She said.

Why SRC is reviewing the allowances

To avoid duplication, redundancy, disparities and varied eligibility criteria, allowances payable in the Public Service shall be harmonized and streamlined as follows:

Allowances and benefits that are paid for similar purposes but have different names shall be merged and renamed;
Allowances and benefits whose rates are not commensurate with the intended purpose shall be restructured;
Allowances and benefits whose current form does not change shall be retained; and
Allowances and benefits whose rationale for payment is redundant and or overlaps with that of the basic salary shall be abolished.

The Commission says allowances and benefits shall not be paid for purposes that are already compensated for in the basic salary thus resulting in a remuneration package that exceeds the relative worth of a job.

Streamlining of Allowances and Benefits

To avoid duplication, redundancy, disparities and varied eligibility criteria, allowances payable in the Public Service shall be streamlined by:

Merging and renaming allowances and benefits that are paid for similar purposes but have different names;
Restructuring allowances and benefits whose rates are not commensurate with the intended purpose;
Retaining allowances and benefits whose current form does not change; and
Abolishing allowances and benefits whose rationale for payment is redundant and or overlaps with that of the basic salary.

Reviewed TSC allowances

TSC allowances that will be restructured include:

Annual Leave Allowance

It is an allowance that is paid once in a year to teachers while on leave; usually paid with the January salaries. The Commission is intending to review this allowance due to the following reasons:

The wide banding of job group eligible for Annual Leave Allowance is discriminative;
There is a disparity in the rates payable in the Public Service.
Some public sector institutions pay Annual Leave Allowance as a percentage of the basic salary, other institutions pay Annual Leave Allowance as an absolute figure.
Some public institutions allow for commutation of non-utilized leave days for cash.

Consequently, this is how the annual leave should be paid;

The Annual Leave Allowance shall be paid in absolute figure and not a percentage of basic salary. Indeed, this how TSC pays the annual leave for teachers and hence no much changes are expected here.

The SRC shall review the banding structure in the Annual Leave Allowance payments to provide clarity in banding and rates payable by the teacher’s grade.

Hardship Allowance

This is an allowance that is paid to teachers deployed in designated hardship areas. The allowance is meant to compensate teachers working in the Hardship Areas to compensate them for lack of basic social services and amenities, security risk, harsh climatic conditions, isolation and family separation.

Some teachers are set to lose the hardship allowance because the designated hardship areas shall be reviewed, by the relevant government institution/s to reflect changes in designated hardship areas arising from benefits of devolution and Equalization Fund. This is because devolution has implied that Counties are no longer necessarily hardship areas since they are receiving equalization funds to promote development in the counties thereby addressing the characteristics of hardship areas.

Responsibility Allowance

This is an allowance paid to teachers in administrative posts. SRC has since abolished this allowance because the purpose for which the allowance is paid has been factored in the relative worth of the job through the job undertaken by the Commission. Indeed, this allowance was incorporated in the basic salaries for teachers holding administrative roles.

Medical Allowance

The allowances are paid alongside monthly salary based on the job group to cater for outpatient medical treatment. The allowance has now been abolished. Teachers lost their medical allowance some time back; and, part of it is paid to the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF; which is a statutory deduction) and the remaining goes to the TSC procured medical insurance scheme, AON-Minet.

List of TSC Allowances and Benefits to be Retained

The following allowances shall not be modified:

S/N	Allowance Name
1	Commuter Allowance
2	House Allowance
3	Disability Guide Allowance
4	Transfer Allowance

The Teachers Service Commission, TSC, recognizes the rights of persons with special needs under Article 54 (1) of the Constitution with regard to its employees. The purpose of this policy aims at removing all discriminatory practices against employees with special needs by creating an enabling environment that enhance their access to opportunities and services in the Commission.

This policy will help in addressing issues and concerns of employees with special needs namely; physical, visual and hearing impairment, albinism and psychological disorders by ensuring that employees with special needs:

i. Are treated with dignity and respect, addressed and referred to in a manner that is not demeaning,
ii. Have the necessary facilities to enhance their movement in the work place.
iii. Have access to materials and devices to overcome constraints arising from their disability.
iv. Have the necessary information using the most appropriate means of communication that include but not limited to sign language and braille.

Determination of disability

The Commission in collaboration with the National Council for persons with Disability (NCPWD) shall determine the type, nature and degree of disability. Any employee with special needs shall be required to:

i. Declare disability at the time of employment,
ii. Declare disability that occurs in the course of employment,
iii. Register and obtain a disability registration certificate from the NCPWD which shall be subjected to scrutiny before acceptance,
iv. Declare their disability status once registered by the NCPWD within a reasonable period acceptable to the Commission which shall be determined from time to time.

Intervention strategies for employees with disability

The Commission shall adopt the following strategies to address the challenges of employees with special needs:

i. Establish and maintain a database of all employees with special needs specifying the nature, type and severity of disability during the time of employment,

ii. Ensure compliance with the statutory provisions on Persons With Disability (PWD) during the time of recruitment,
iii. Deploy employees with special needs to positions and stations that enhance their performance,
iv. Pay prescribed allowances to employees with special needs where such is considered necessary for effective performance of duty,
v. Guide employees with special needs to apply for PAYE tax exemption from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) or any other benefits due from the government,
vi. Ensure that TSC premises and other facilities comply with the requirements of the PWDs Act 2003,
vii. Institute appropriate communication mechanisms to ensure that all employees with special needs get information,
viii. Never terminate or retire any employee on the basis of disability unless declared otherwise by a Medical Board,
ix. Support employees who acquire disability in the course of duty in accordance with the Work Injury Benefits Act (2007),
x. Ensure inclusion of all employees in the Commission’s programmes irrespective of their physical status,
xi. Enhance collaboration and partnership with relevant government agencies and stakeholders on matters of benefit to employees with special needs.

Among other benefits, Teachers with Disability are exempted from paying the Pay As You Earn Tax (PAYE) and also get other extra allowances.

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Tag Archives: TSC salaries 2021

List of TSC allowances for teachers that have been scrapped