The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has recorded high number of teachers wanting to transfer to areas designated as hardship areas.

A TSC education official in Kilifi county said there is an unusual increase in the number of teachers wanting to cross.

Majority of the teachers are primary school teachers wanting to cross to neighboring regions demarcated as hardship areas.

This has been attributed to the current economic burden faced by many Kenyans including teachers.

TSC pays a special allowance called ‘hardship allowance’ to teachers working in areas marked and coded as hardship areas.

TSC HARDSHIP ALLOWANCE PAID TO TEACHERS PER JOB GROUP

Currently majority of teachers payslips are battered. Teachers are hungry and overwhelmed with responsibilities.

This coincides with a report tabled in Parliament on Wednesday 26th February 2025 which revealed crisis hitting public service employees.

The shocking report shows a significant number of the employees are leaving inhumanely with some surviving through salary advance.

The report showed some 47,300 government employees take home less than a third of their pay, which is below the limit set in law.

This has been exacerbated by the increased payslip deductions. Provident fund, Union deductions, NSSF, SHIF and Housing levy have all led to shrinking payslip which mostly are already loaded with loans.

Nominated Senator Beatrice Ogolla has called for urgent intervention to address the growing crisis of public servants’ salaries falling below the legally mandated one-third basic salary threshold.

Speaking in the Senate under Standing Order 53(1), Ogolla sought a detailed statement from the Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare, highlighting the severe financial strain on workers due to recent tax changes and mandatory deductions.

“Mr. Speaker, Sir, there is a growing and alarming trend where public servants are receiving salaries that violate the one-third basic salary rule as outlined in the Human Resource Policies and Procedure Manual,” Ogolla stated.

“This is exacerbated by recent tax changes, including the 1.5% deduction for affordable housing and the 2.75% deduction for the Social Health Insurance Fund, which have pushed many workers below the legal threshold.”

Ogolla emphasized the dire consequences of these deductions.

“These contributions, while aimed at social welfare, are forcing public servants to take home less than one-third of their basic pay, plunging many into financial distress and risking their classification as the ‘working poor,’” she warned.

“This is a clear violation of Section C.1(3) of the 2016 HR Manual, which mandates that no employee should commit more than two-thirds of their basic pay.”

The Senator called for immediate action to safeguard workers’ financial and psychological well-being.

“What measures are the Ministries of Labour and Public Service taking to protect public servants from these adverse effects?” she questioned.

“We need clear plans to cushion teachers, police officers, and all government employees from disciplinary actions arising from these violations and to review existing policies to align them with the new tax realities.”

In the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) TSC listed the following as the official ASAL and Hard to staff areas;

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

However not all areas falling in the above categories enjoy hardship allowance as some its only applicable in some sub counties and not whole county.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has recorded high number of teachers wanting to transfer to areas designated as hardship areas.

A TSC education official in Kilifi county said there is an unusual increase in the number of teachers wanting to cross.

Majority of the teachers are primary school teachers wanting to cross to neighboring regions demarcated as hardship areas.

This has been attributed to the current economic burden faced by many Kenyans including teachers.

TSC pays a special allowance called ‘hardship allowance’ to teachers working in areas marked and coded as hardship areas.

TSC HARDSHIP ALLOWANCE PAID TO TEACHERS PER JOB GROUP

Currently majority of teachers payslips are battered. Teachers are hungry and overwhelmed with responsibilities.

This coincides with a report tabled in Parliament on Wednesday 26th February 2025 which revealed crisis hitting public service employees.

The shocking report shows a significant number of the employees are leaving inhumanely with some surviving through salary advance.

The report showed some 47,300 government employees take home less than a third of their pay, which is below the limit set in law.

This has been exacerbated by the increased payslip deductions. Provident fund, Union deductions, NSSF, SHIF and Housing levy have all led to shrinking payslip which mostly are already loaded with loans.

Nominated Senator Beatrice Ogolla has called for urgent intervention to address the growing crisis of public servants’ salaries falling below the legally mandated one-third basic salary threshold.

Speaking in the Senate under Standing Order 53(1), Ogolla sought a detailed statement from the Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare, highlighting the severe financial strain on workers due to recent tax changes and mandatory deductions.

“Mr. Speaker, Sir, there is a growing and alarming trend where public servants are receiving salaries that violate the one-third basic salary rule as outlined in the Human Resource Policies and Procedure Manual,” Ogolla stated.

“This is exacerbated by recent tax changes, including the 1.5% deduction for affordable housing and the 2.75% deduction for the Social Health Insurance Fund, which have pushed many workers below the legal threshold.”

Ogolla emphasized the dire consequences of these deductions.

“These contributions, while aimed at social welfare, are forcing public servants to take home less than one-third of their basic pay, plunging many into financial distress and risking their classification as the ‘working poor,’” she warned.

“This is a clear violation of Section C.1(3) of the 2016 HR Manual, which mandates that no employee should commit more than two-thirds of their basic pay.”

The Senator called for immediate action to safeguard workers’ financial and psychological well-being.

“What measures are the Ministries of Labour and Public Service taking to protect public servants from these adverse effects?” she questioned.

“We need clear plans to cushion teachers, police officers, and all government employees from disciplinary actions arising from these violations and to review existing policies to align them with the new tax realities.”

In the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) TSC listed the following as the official ASAL and Hard to staff areas;

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

However not all areas falling in the above categories enjoy hardship allowance as some its only applicable in some sub counties and not whole county.