TSC Reduces Hardship Regions (Areas), Rolls Out New Hardship Allowances Paid to Teachers per Corresponding Job groups 2022-2023
TSC hardship allowance and areas fluctuate from time to time depending on the Collective Bargaining Agreement or pact between the teachers’ employer and teachers’ unions.
Hardship allowance is an extra amount of money that is paid to someone for working in difficult conditions. Such difficult condition is working in arid and semi arid condition which makes the working environment to be tough.
Hardship allowances are normally calculated as a percentage of salary, sometimes 30 per cent or more in areas where it is particularly difficult or unpleasant to live and work.
Teachers in Kenya under the Teachers Service Commission don’t get uniform allowances. They are paid according to their job group and workstation. It is also integral to remember that only pensionable and permanent teachers receive allowances from the Teachers Service Commission.
For a teacher to qualify for hardship allowance, he/she must be stationed in a centre which meets the following conditions:
•Poor transport and communication channel
•High levels of insecurity in the surrounding
•Harsh and unfavorable climatic conditions eg-floods,landslides,earthquakes
•Few or no social-essential
According to a Collective Bargaining Agreement between Kenya National Union of Teachers and Teachers Service Commission, teachers in hardship areas should be paid hardship allowances as shown in the table below;
Newly Mapped 18 Hardship Areas And Their Corresponding Allowances-2022
TSC: Newly Mapped 18 Hardship Areas And Their Corresponding Allowances-2022
The Teacher’s service commission (TSC) updates hardship areas regularly. The commission maps various areas while considering different factors. This areas also include the arid and semi-arid places that are usually affected by famine and/or terrorism.
Tutors posted in these areas are paid a monthly hardship allowance that acts as a motivating factor since they face life threatening conditions that range from poor working environment to health threats.
However, the Commission recently excluded Nyandarua county, Muranga county, Kandara sub-county, Kigumo sub-county, and Nyahururu from hardship areas due to improved infrastructure. Therefore, teachers posted in these areas will no longer get a monthly hardship allowance.
TSC listed and approved a total of 38 hardship areas in 2012.
Some of the factors considered are:
Limited services and social amenities
High level of insecurity and/or probability to security threats.
Harsh climate conditions such as floods, drought.
Lack of sufficient food.
Inadequate means of transport and communication networks.
Below is a list of counties that have been listed under hardship areas;
Mandera County
Turkana County
SamburU County
Wajir County
West Pokot County
Narok County
Garissa County
Marsabit County
Isiolo County
Tana River County
Lamu County
Kilifi County
Kwale County
Taita Taveta County
Recently, the commission added 4 new hardship areas due to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The added counties include,
Baringo North. The areas include;
Tiaty East, Tiaty West and Marigat sub-counties.
Kajiado county- loitoktok, mashuuru and Kajiado west
Kitui County- Mumoni, Mutito North and Teikuru sub-counties
Homa baycounty- suba and Mbita sub counties
Allowances
The hardship allowance is paid at a flat rate. In 2014, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission reviewed hardship allowances and abolished the percentage of basic pay.
