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TSC

New TSC Hardship Areas and their Allowance Rates 2020-2022

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New TSC Hardship Areas and their allowance rates 2020-2022

 Teachers Service Commission(TSC) being an independent body charged with the responsibility of recruiting and remitting salaries for civil  servants usually extends it’s kind arms towards teachers and other TSC employees such as Quassols  who work in far flung marginalized regions dubbed  unfavorable for human residence.

The commission does so by offering an extra pat on these employees’ shoulders in terms of hardship allowances.

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However, not all far flung regions are designated as hardship areas since the government uses specific criteria to determine whether a locality  is fit to be classified under Hardship areas or not.

Amongstthe conditions that are considered include the following:

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Lack of or unavailability or inaccessibility to food

Inadequate transport and communication network

Limited basic social services and amenities

Persistent harsh climatic conditions like flooding, landslides and drought

Insecurity and high possibility of security threats.

Teachers working in these areas do face a number of challenges though.

Lack of water,flooding and hostile living conditions are some of the difficulties these teachers have to endure in order to prosecute their mandate.

Late 2014, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, SRC, then led by Sarah Serem reviewed hardship allowance to be paid at a flat rate for all equivalent job groups. The Commission effectively abolished the pegging of the hardship allowance as a percentage of basic pay.

The table below summarizes the monthly hardship allowance rates that are paid to teachers working in hardship areas; per job group:

TSC Group Hardship
Allowance in
Ksh. Per month

1 Grade B5 Job group G 6,600
2 Grade C1, JG H 8,200
3 Grade C2 JG I 10,900
4 Grade C3  JG J 12,300
5 Grade C4 JG K 14,650
6 Grade C5 JG L 17,100
7 Grade D1 JG M 27,300
8 Grade D2  JG N 27,300
9 Grade D3 JG P 31,500
10 Grade D4 JG Q 31,500
11 Grade D5 JG R 38,100

TSC designated hardship areas.

TSC has designated various areas as hardship. The areas considered as hardship include those that are prone to terrorism, famine and aridity. Currently, teachers teaching in schools located in some parts of the following counties receive monthly hardship allowances.

S/No. Area/County
1 Garissa county
2 Isiolo county
3 Kilifi county
4 Kwale county
5 Lamu county
6 Mandera county
7 Marsabit county
8 Narok county
9 Samburu county
10 Taita Taveta
11 Tana River county
12 Turkana county
13 Wajir county
14 West Pokot county 

TSC

TSC Updates Hardship Areas and Teacher Allowances for 2025

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TSC Updates Hardship Areas and Teacher Allowances for 2025

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has made important updates to the classification of hardship areas and the associated allowances for teachers, starting July 1, 2025. This initiative is designed to adjust compensation in line with the current infrastructural and socio-economic realities in different regions of Kenya.

Reassessment of Hardship Areas

In partnership with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), the TSC has reviewed regions that were previously identified as hardship areas.

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This evaluation took into account factors such as access to essential services, infrastructure, security, and the availability of social services.

Consequently, hardship areas have been divided into two categories:

Extreme Hardship Areas:

These include regions facing significant challenges, such as Mandera, Garissa, Turkana, Wajir, Tana River, Marsabit, parts of Lamu, West Pokot, parts of Baringo, and Isiolo counties.

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Moderate Hardship Areas:

These regions experience notable but less severe challenges, including parts of Kwale, Narok West, Narok South, Loita, Samburu, Suba South, Suba North, Kitui, Makueni, Kajiado, Kilifi, Nyando, Nyakach, Laikipia, and Nyandarua counties.

Several areas, including Tinderet, Soin, Bunyala, Elgeyo Marakwet, and Tharaka Nithi, have been completely removed from the hardship classification due to improvements in infrastructure and living conditions.

Impact on Teachers

Teachers in Extreme Hardship Areas will continue to receive full hardship allowances, while those in Moderate Hardship Areas will experience a reduction in their allowances. Educators in regions that are no longer classified as hardship areas will no longer receive these allowances.

The hardship allowance varies by job group, ranging from Ksh 6,600 for entry-level teachers (Job Group B5) to Ksh 38,100 for senior administrators (Job Group D5).

Reactions from Stakeholders

The reclassification has received mixed responses. Some stakeholders commend the government’s efforts to reflect current conditions, while teacher unions have raised concerns about the potential negative effects on staff morale and retention in impacted areas. They argue that the reduction or elimination of hardship allowances could worsen staffing issues in remote schools.

The government expects to save around Ksh 6.5 billion annually through these changes.

However, education stakeholders stress the importance of a balanced approach that considers both fiscal responsibility and the well-being of teachers working in difficult environments.

Conclusion

The TSC’s updated classification of hardship areas and allowances aims to align teacher compensation with present-day conditions. As these changes are implemented, ongoing communication between the government and education stakeholders will be essential to address concerns and ensure the provision of quality education across all regions.

TSC

Hardship areas as listed by TSC and Hardship allowance rates per job group

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Hardship areas as listed by TSC and Hardship allowance rates per job group

Full list of hardship areas as designated by TSC and hardship allowances paid to teachers

 

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Full list of hardship areas as designated by TSC and hardship allowances paid to teachers.

The Teachers Service Commission, TSC, pays extra allowances (hardship allowances) to teachers working in areas classified as hardship. While classifying an area to be a hardship area, the locality must meet any of these conditions:

Lack of or unavailability or inaccessibility to food,
Inadequate transport and communication network,
Limited basic social services and amenities,
Persistent harsh climatic conditions like flooding, landslides and drought,
Insecurity and high possibility of security threats.
Hardship allowance is therefore paid in an effort to compensate for the cost of living for teachers working in areas designated as hardship. Like stated above, teachers working in hardship areas face a myriad of challenges; from lack of water, flooding to hostile living conditions characterized by constant spates of attacks.

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Current allowances paid to Teachers in Kenya by the Teachers Service Commission: Hardship allowance.

Hardship allowances

In December, 2014, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, SRC, reviewed hardship allowance to be paid at a flat rate for all equivalent grades/ job groups. The Commission effectively abolished the pegging of the hardship allowance as a percentage of basic pay.

The table below summarizes the monthly hardship allowance rates that are paid to teachers working in hardship areas; per job group:

S/NO GRADE TSC SCALE FORMER JOB GROUP Hardship Allowance- in Kshs per Month
1 B5 5 G 6,600
2 C1 6 H 8,200
3 C2 7 I 10,900
4 C3 8 J 12,300
5 C4 9 K 14,650
6 C5 10 L 17,100
7 D1 11 M 27,300
8 D2 12 N 27,300
9 D3 13 P 31,500
10 D4 14 Q 31,500
11 D5 15 R 38,100

TSC designated hardship areas.
TSC has designated various areas as hardship. The areas considered as hardship include those that are prone to terrorism, famine and aridity. As of 2012, TSC had about 38 areas approved as hardship.

Currently, teachers teaching in schools located in some parts of the following counties receive monthly hardship allowances.

S/NO. AREA/ COUNTY
1 Garissa County
2 Isiolo County
3 Kilifi County
4 Kwale County
5 Lamu County
6 Mandera County
7 Marsabit County
8 Narok County
9 Samburu County
10 Taita Taveta County
11 Tana River County
12 Turkana
13 Wajir County
14 West Pokot County

Hardship areas as per TSC, Latest Education news, Latest TSC news, Teachers Salaries 2021/2022, Teachers’ allowances 2021-2022, TSC hardship allowance, TSC Hardship areas

 

Education News, TSC

(REVISED) TSC HARDSHIP AREAS IN KENYA 2020/2021; A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF COUNTIES/ AREAS MAPPED OUT AS HARDSHIP AREAS AS OF THE YEAR 2020/2021

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(REVISED) TSC HARDSHIP AREAS IN KENYA 2020/2021; A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF COUNTIES/ AREAS MAPPED OUT AS HARDSHIP AREAS AS OF THE YEAR 2020/2021

It is in the public domain that parliament has been ordered to scrap off some areas initially listed as hardship areas for teachers and other civil servants on grounds that the areas are no longer hardship having developed over the years.

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This is after the World Bank noted that some of these areas are now easily accessible for they are dotted by all-weather roads. Besides, some of the hardship areas now have adequate water, electricity, security, and food hence providing a conducive working environment for government-employed workers.

TRENDING NEWS ON TSC HARDSHIP AREAS AND ALLOWANCES

TSC TO SCRAP HARDSHIP ALLOWANCES FOR SOME AREAS

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LATEST TSC HARDSHIP ALLOWANCES/ AREAS 

What is a hardship area?

Change is an inevitable force and as times change, there are new factors such as insecurity which play a key role in determining areas listed by the Teachers Service Commission as hardship areas.

They are described as TSC hardship areas due to the rather strenuous working conditions that TSC employees such as teachers, education officers, quality assurance officers, county, and regional education directors are subjected to.

Some of the tough working conditions that they have to put up with include insecurity for instance in some parts of the North Eastern and Coastal regions, poor infrastructure, and poor social amenities.

What is a hardship allowance?

Due to these deplorable working conditions, the TSC is fair enough for the Commission has seen to it that employees deployed to hardship areas earn more pay due to the potential risk they are exposed to.

They, therefore, have extra packages such as risk allowance and transport allowance which gives them an upper hand when it comes to their monthly salaries compared to their counterparts working in “normal” areas.

In this article, we will provide a comprehensive list of counties and areas that are currently mapped out as hardship areas for teachers employed by the Teachers Service Commission, TSC in Kenya.

Conditions for Hardship Areas in Kenya; Selection Criteria

For an area to qualify as a hardship area, the region must meet the following minimum conditions:

  1. Lack of and/or Inadequate food
  2. Poor transport and communication channels
  3. Lack of and/or inadequate social amenities
  4. Life-threatening catastrophes such as insecurity
  5. Persistent harsh climatic conditions such as floods, landslides, and drought

 

Some parts of the North Eastern, Eastern, Rift Valley, and Coast regions have been experiencing major challenges including understaffing, religious conflicts, drought, militia attacks on teachers orchestrated by militia groups among others.

HERE IS A FULL LIST OF AREAS/COUNTIES LISTED AS HARDSHIP AREAS BY TSC

 

NO. COUNTY REGION
1. Turkana Rift Valley
2. Mandera County North Eastern
3. Wajir County North Eastern
4. Marsabit County North Eastern
5. Samburu County Rift Valley
6. West Pokot County Rift Valley
7. Tana River County Coast
8. Narok County Rift Valley
9. Kwale County Coast
10. Garissa County North Eastern
11. Kilifi County Coast
12. Taita Taveta County Coast
13. Isiolo County Eastern
14. Lamu County Coast

 

TEACHERS ALLOWANCES PER JOB GROUP

Due to the challenges that teachers teaching in hardship oriented areas face, The government of Kenya decided to chip in to at least compensate them on the extra cost of life hence making their stay at those areas a bit comfortable.

The table below summarizes the monthly hardship allowance rates that are paid to teachers working in hardship areas; per job group as per the 2014 review:

S/NO GRADE TSC SCALE FORMER JOB GROUP Hardship Allowance- in Kshs per Month
1 B5 5 G 6,600
2 C1 6 H 8,200
3 C2 7 I 10,900
4 C3 8 J 12,300
5 C4 9 K 14,650
6 C5 10 L 17,100
7 D1 11 M 27,300
8 D2 12 N 27,300
9 D3 13 P 31,500
10 D4 14 Q 31,500
11 D5 15  R 38,000

 

 

 

 

KNEC News Portal, TSC News Portal

TSC hardship allowance rates and areas

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The Teachers Service Commission, TSC, pays extra allowances (hardship allowances) to teachers working in areas classified as hardship. While classifying an area to be a hardship area, the locality must meet any of these conditions:

  • Lack of or unavailability or inaccessibility to food,
  • Inadequate transport and communication network,
  • Limited basic social services and amenities,
  • Persistent harsh climatic conditions like flooding, landslides and drought,
  • Insecurity and high possibility of security threats.

Hardship allowance is therefore paid in an effort to compensate for the cost of living for teachers working in areas designated as hardship. Like stated above, teachers working in hardship areas face a myriad of challenges; from lack of water, flooding to hostile living conditions characterized by constant spates of attacks.

Read also:
Hardship allowances

In December, 2014, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, SRC, reviewed hardship allowance to be paid at a flat rate for all equivalent grades/ job groups. The Commission effectively abolished the pegging of the hardship allowance as a percentage of basic pay.

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The table below summarizes the monthly hardship allowance rates that are paid to teachers working in hardship areas; per job group:

S/NO GRADE TSC SCALE FORMER JOB GROUP Hardship Allowance- in Kshs per Month
1 B5 5 G 6,600
2 C1 6 H 8,200
3 C2 7 I 10,900
4 C3 8 J 12,300
5 C4 9 K 14,650
6 C5 10 L 17,100
7 D1 11 M 27,300
8 D2 12 N 27,300
9 D3 13 P 31,500
10 D4 14 Q 31,500
11 D5 15  R 38,100

 

TSC designated hardship areas.

TSC has designated various areas as hardship. The areas considered as hardship include those that are prone to terrorism, famine and aridity. As of 2012, TSC had about 38 areas approved as hardship.

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Currently, teachers teaching in schools located in some parts of the following counties receive monthly hardship allowances.

S/NO. AREA/ COUNTY
1 Garissa County
2 Isiolo County
3 Kilifi County
4 Kwale County
5 Lamu County
6 Mandera County
7 Marsabit County
8 Narok County
9 Samburu County
10 Taita Taveta County
11 Tana River County
12 Turkana
13 Wajir County
14 West Pokot County
General

(TRENDING) TSC TO SCRAP HARDSHIP ALLOWANCES FOR SOME AREAS; Latest TSC News

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(TRENDING) TSC TO SCRAP HARDSHIP ALLOWANCES FOR SOME AREAS; Latest TSC News

 

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In a nutshell

The government has been advised by the World Bank to review and scrap off hefty hardship allowances paid to civil servants now that some of the areas previously designated as hardship have greatly developed.

The new mapping is set out to commence in January. Some of the targeted areas by the Teachers Service Commission include parts of Nakuru County, Narok, Laikipia, Kwale, Baringo, Pokot, Kwale, Turkana, Eastern, North Eastern, Taita Taveta, etc.

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Teachers currently enjoying these hefty allowances should, therefore, be psychologically prepared for huge pay cuts.

 

Some of the teachers employed by the Teachers Service Commission to work in schools within hardship areas should prepare themselves for huge salary deductions from the year 2021.

This is simply because the TSC is planning to review and scrap off hardship allowances for some areas which have undergone significant development and hence can no longer qualify to be categorized as hardship regions.

According to the TSC, some of the areas that are likely to be affected by these changes include parts of Nakuru County, Narok, Laikipia, Kwale, Baringo, Pokot, Kwale, Turkana, Eastern, North Eastern, and Taita Taveta.

The new mapping of hardship areas is set to kick off in January 2021.

DEVOLUTION

The suggestion by World Bank is pegged on the fact that devolution has brought forth major developments in areas that were previously marginalized hence making the areas more comfortable for civil servants and residents.

If Kenya scraps hardship allowance, it will save Kshs 3 billion as part of the cost-reduction measures to ensure the country stays on track after spending a lot of money on the covid-19 pandemic.

NO LONGER HARSH

According to Bretton Woods Institution, state officers are still enjoying hefty allowances for working in areas designated as hardship decades ago.

It is therefore high time the Government reviews these areas since the majority of them have now developed and are no longer harsh to work in.

This special tag, hardship, should thus be a special preserve of a few areas.

The special hardship allowance was introduced as an incentive to teachers and other public officers working in remote areas to compensate for lack of amenities, infrastructure, and a challenging environment.

However, the Government has now undertaken major infrastructure projects that have opened up some of these rural areas to businesses and investments.

Consequently, civil servants posted to such areas have access to the same services as their counterparts in urban areas.

A review of the hardship allowance will allow the government to truly ascertain areas that are lagging behind and most importantly free up money for other more pressing needs.

The World Bank has however cautioned that the exercise should be done with a lot of caution as some areas might be lacking amenities for a conducive working environment.

This move comes at a time when the Teachers Service Commission has begun employing local teachers in some areas of North Eastern and Coast following the increased level of insecurity and attacks on non-local teachers.

Besides, KUPPET is also fighting for a harmonized, uniform house allowance for teachers. This will be a point of departure from the current situation where teachers are paid based on where they have been posted with those in urban areas earning higher allowances.

“The proposal on harmonized house allowance is contained in the Collective Bargaining Agreement 2021-2021,” said Akelo Misori,  KUPPET Secretary-General.

 

Breaking News, Education News, TSC

Revised (TSC) Hardship Areas: Government degazettes some hardship areas, designates them as moderate instead of extreme

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Revised Hardship Areas: Government degazettes the following hardship areas, designates them as moderate instead of extreme

Newly- designated (TSC) Hardship Areas, hardship allowance and latest payment rates

 The government recently announced more than 60 divisions which have now been designated as moderate while 17 were listed as extreme hardship areas.

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TSC has more hardship areas, 38, a source of discontent among other civil servants

Consequently, civil servants posted to the said areas will henceforth be entitled to a uniform hardship allowance based on the magnitude of the tough working conditions of the region as opposed to their salary.

Citing the Teachers Service Commission, TSC which has 38 areas gazetted as hardship compared to the rest of the Public Service including the Forces, which have 15, the minister said that this situation is a source of discontent among other civil servants.

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Government cites huge disparities in hardship allowance among civil servants

The government also noted that some civil servants are earning a lot more than others, an aspect that serves to demoralize the lowest paid employees.

These huge disparities have culminated in demotivation of low earners who view their posting to hardship areas as punitive.

“Some civil servants are being paid hardship allowance at the rate of 30 per cent of basic salary subject to a maximum of Sh1,200 a month for married officers and Sh600 for single officers,” said Dalmas.

Due to the disparities in the payment of hardship allowance, public servants earning higher allowances view them as a salary supplement and not partial compensation for deployment in the hardship areas.

Low rates

Other public servants earning low rates, on the other hand, who do not consider the rates of the allowance as commensurate with the level of hardship in the area, view their posting as punitive.

“As a result, the payment of hardship allowance has become a major source of discontent among civil servants due to the differences in total salary package,” Dalmas said.

“This has contributed to resistance to postings to areas designated as hardship with consequent negative impact on service delivery and staff retention,” he added.

This new move will see the budgetary allocation for payment of hardship allowances increase by Sh500 million, pushing the ministry’s budget from Sh5.2 billion to Sh5.7 billion annually.

Latest Hardship Allowance for Civil Servants

“All civil servants in areas designated as ‘moderate’ will be paid Sh 5,000 a month,” Dalmas announced at a press conference at Harambee House.

“While those designated as ‘extreme’ will be paid a flat rate figure of Sh10,000 a month.”

While degazetting the areas, the Government considered various factors such as availability and accessibility of food, potable water, and social services and amenities.

The divisions include Kakuzi, Makuyu, Kieni East and West divisions in Central Province.

In Eastern Province the divisions degazetted are Mbooni, Kilungu, Kaiti, and Kilome.

Rift Valley has the highest number of divisions no longer designated as hardship areas. These include Ngong in Kajiado North and Fort Ternan-Muhoroni in Ainamoi.

Four divisions in Kilgoris affected by the minister’s move include Kirdon, Keiyan, Puirra and Kilgoris. Kapsowar, Kapcherop and Chebiemit in Marakwet West. Tirap and Kabiengo in

Marakwet tops the list from the Rift Valley region.

Nyanza Province’s divisions degazetted include Miwani, Nyando, Upper and Lower Nyakach and Sondu divisions.

Why hardship allowance?

“The objective of paying allowance was to partially compensate public servants working in areas designated as hardship for lack of basic social services and amenities, risk, isolation and family separation,” Dalmas explained.

The minister said the different areas have since been classified as hardship for various public service organizations, thereby creating disparities.