Thousands of teachers who have been enjoying hardship allowances are set to lose a lot following a new government directive to reclassify regions designated as hardship areas.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi told the National Assembly that the proposed review of hardship areas will save Ksh6 billion annually.
According to Musalia, the 2019 report on the Inter-Agency Technical Committee proposed a review of the existing hardship areas for harmonisation.
Earlier, lawmakers complained that the current classification of hardship areas was skewed and discriminatory.
According to the document on the upcoming classification, seen by Education News, hardship areas have been classified as either extreme or moderate.
Areas under extreme hardship shall include the following counties: Mandera, Garissa, Turkana, Wajir, Tana River, Isiolo, and West Pokot.
Moderate hardship zones shall comprise Suba North, Suba South, Narok West, Narok South, and parts of Kituyi, Makueni, Kajiado, Kilifi, Nyando, Nyakach, and Laikipia.
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The document leaves out many areas currently mapped as hardship zones. The report recommends that devolution brought by the 2010 Constitution has brought meaningful development that has made the areas no longer qualify as hardship.
Teachers from the left-out zones have contacted Education News to express their frustrations over the new development.
Many claimed they had committed to their salaries and that the change would severely affect them. The teachers implored their unions to investigate the issue before it is implemented.
The Prime Cabinet Secretary pointed out that the proposed harmonisation aimed at responding to legislators’ calls to know why TSC has 44 areas, Civil Service and State Corporations 16, and the Judiciary 21 areas gazetted as hardship.
It was also learnt that the civil service categorises hardship areas using former districts, while TSC uses educational zones.
The fate of teachers in areas like Tinderet, Soin Signet, Bunyala, Elgeiyo Marakwet, Tharaka Nithi, and others will be mentioned in the report when this article goes to press.
By Kaptich Tarus
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