Teachers in the following areas to gain hardship allowances
Teachers in the following areas to gain hardship allowances
Teachers in the following areas to gain hardship allowances
The government has proposed abolishing the payment of hardship allowances in places that have grown over time and shouldn’t be considered “hardship” zones.
Teachers in hard-hit areas are uneasy about a study to evaluate hardship allowance that will be submitted to Parliament for adoption next week.
Representatives drawn from:
- Ministry of Public Service and Gender
- Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government
- Ministry of Education
- The National Treasury and Planning
- Public Service Commission
- Teachers Service Commission
- Kenya National Bureau of Statistics
- Council of Governors
- Commission on Revenue Allocation
- Salaries and Remuneration Commission
- The Judiciary
Are the bodies that have approved scrapping of hardship allowances in some areas of the country.
Regions have been classified in the report as facing extreme hardship, average hardship, and minimal hardship, allowing the possibility for payment suspension.
This comes after a petition to declare Rachuonyo North constituency a hardship area was read by National Assembly Speaker Hon. Moses Wetangula yesterday on behalf of a member of the public.
The petitioner claims that Rachuonyo North Sub-County has extremely high levels of poverty. The area’s schools have a low enrollment rate and a significant staffing shortage.
Also, despite teachers working in nearby locations receiving the benefits, teachers in Karachuonyo North do not receive hardship allowances.
The petition urges that the National Assembly take into account the standards for identifying hardship zones in order to improve teacher morale and education in those areas.
Lawmakers who backed the petition noted the need for a precise set of guidelines for identifying hardship areas.
The following were designated as the official ASAL and hard-to-staff areas in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for the period 2021 to 2025 by TSC:
The official ASAL and Hard to staff areas include;
1) Baringo North; Tiaty East, Tiaty West and Marigat sub-counties in Baringo County.
2) Garissa County
3) Suba and Mbita sub-counties in Homa Bay County
4) Isiolo County
5) Mashuuru, Loitoktok and Kajiado West sub-counties in Kajiado County
6) Kwale County
7) Magarini and Ganze in Kilifi County
8) Lamu County
9) Mandera County
10) Marsabit County
11)Mumoni, Mutito North and Tseikuru sub-counties in Kitui County
12) Narok South and Narok North sub-counties in Narok County
13) Samburu County
14) Taita Taveta County
15) Tana River County
16) Turkana County
17) Wajir County
18) West Pokot County
Nevertheless, not all of the aforementioned places receive hardship allowance because, in some cases, it only applies to certain sub-counties and not the entire county.
It is advised that residents of Nyando, Chonyi, Lungalunga Suba, and parts of Nandi get hardship allowance payments.
while it has been advised to scrap others, like areas of Samburu, Kinango, Lamu, Tana River, and Taita Taveta.
In 2020, the World Bank requested that Kenya eliminate its hardship grant in order to save Sh3 billion and put the nation back on track after increased spending during the coronavirus outbreak.
The World Bank stated that public employees receiving the generous benefits work in regions that were once considered to be in hardship but are now developed and do not meet the criteria.
“The review of hardship zones is needed as several regions have developed their infrastructure and social amenities over the last two decades and are no longer classified hardship areas,” the World Bank report on Kenya Public Expenditure Review reads.
This change will have an adverse effect on teachers’ payslips. The majority of teachers have already committed their payslips, reducing their borrowing ability.
