Teachers teaching in arid and semi-arid land (ASAL) and hardship areas have now asked their employer Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to consider increasing hardship allowance to a maximum of 60 per cent.
Through Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Samburu branch in a letter to TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia dated April 28, 2025 and signed by the Executive Secretary William Lengoiyap, the teachers have cited the recent rise of cost living and security threats in the volatile regions they serve as the basis of the increase.
They averred in the letter that the Commission should consider increasing the hardship allowance at a rate of 30 per cent for safe hardship zones and 60 per cent for insecurity prone areas, citing discrimination by their union, KUPPET, which proposed to retained hardship allowance at the current rates in their 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) submitted to the Commission.
“In the said proposal, the hardship allowance has been retained in the current state, something ASAL teachers and its leadership are not comfortable with it at all. They feel they have not been consulted at all to incorporate their views on this proposal,” said Lengoiyap in the letter.
“For this we propose as ASAL teachers and leadership that hardship allowance be proposed at 30 per cent for safe hardship areas and 60 per cent of the basic pay for insecurity prone hardship areas, considering the high cost of living and threat to life. This increase shall also serve as a key motivating factor in these hardship areas,” he added.
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The letter comes just few days after a similar letter dated April 16, 2025 was written by an association representing teachers in ASAL and hardship areas, the Kenya Teachers in Hardship and Arid Areas Welfare Association (KETHAWA), asking TSC to consider reviewing upward the hardship allowance by 40 per cent in the next cycle of the 2025-2029 CBA.
According to KUPPET 2025-2029 proposed CBA, the hardship allowance for the lowest cadre of teachers at Grade B5 which is Ksh6,600 and the highest Grade at D5 which is Ksh38,100 will be retained but the areas will be expanded to include Lari in Kiambu county and Nairobi County.
“These figures were established in the 2017-2021 collective bargaining agreement and have not been adjusted to reflect the increasing challenges faced by teachers in hard to staff areas. Given the rising cost of living and the nature of environment, it is essential to re-evaluate hard to staff areas to ensure that all teachers receive fair compensation that aligns with their experiences and hardships. The Union proposes to retain the hardship allowance but expand the areas to include Lari (Kiambu County) and Nairobi County,” said KUPPET in the CBA document.
By Roy Hezron
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