Understanding Hardship Allowances for Teachers
Inside the teaching fraternity, you’ll almost likely to hear them talk about allowances and in this case hardship allowances. To better understand what exactly that means, we first need to understand the respective stakeholders and in this case is the Teacher’s Service Commission. It offers hardship allowances to teachers working in challenging locations. These allowances are intended to compensate for the difficult living conditions they face.
Who Qualifies for a Hardship Allowance?
Not all teachers receive a hardship allowance. It’s specifically awarded to those working in designated “hardship areas.” These are regions with harsh environments or security concerns that make staffing difficult.
How Much is the Hardship Allowance?
The amount of the hardship allowance varies based on two factors:
Job Group:
Teachers are assigned job groups based on their experience and qualifications. Higher job groups receive a higher hardship allowance.
Years of Service:
As expected, if you’ve been in service for long, then it only makes sense to have a better rate. Therefore more experienced teachers (those who were employed earlier) typically fall into higher job groups and consequently receive a larger hardship allowance.
Challenges Encountered by Teachers in these Hardship Areas
Teachers in these designated areas often endure a range of hardships, including:
- Lack of clean water
- Seasonal flooding
- Uncomfortable living conditions
- Threats from bandits
Hardship Allowance Disparity
The hardship allowance can differ between teachers due to the factors mentioned above. Newly employed teachers will likely be in lower job groups and receive a smaller allowance compared to their more experienced colleagues.
Infrastructure Improvements
The Kenyan government has since made some progress in its effort to improving the country’s infrastructure, as well as security, which might have led some of these areas being removed from the hardship list.
History of Hardship Allowances
In the year 2014, a survey was conducted by the salaries and remuneration commission where it suggested that all teachers should receive one similar hardship allowance. However, this decision was later quashed by TSC.
| Sno | Grade | Tsc Scale | Hardship Allowance | Commuter Allowance | Annual Leave Allowance | Disability Guide Allowance |
| I | 85 | 5 | 6,600 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 20,000 |
| 2 | CI | 6 | 8,200 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 20,000 |
| 3 | C2 | 7 | 10,900 | 5,000 | 6,000 | 20,000 |
| 4 | C3 | 8 | 12,300 | 6,000 | 6,000 | 20,000 |
| 5 | C4 | 9 | 14,650 | 8,000 | 6,000 | 20,000 |
| 6 | C5 | 10 | 17,100 | 8,000 | 6,000 | 20,000 |
| 7 | D1 | 11 | 27,300 | 12,000 | 10,000 | 20,000 |
| 8 | D2 | 12 | 27,300 | 12,000 | 10,000 | 20,000 |
| 9 | D3 | 13 | 31,500 | 14,000 | 10,000 | 20,000 |
| 10 | D4 | 14 | 31,500 | 14,000 | 10,000 | 20,000 |
| 11 | D5 | 15 | 38,100 | 16,000 | 10,000 | 20,000 |
Highest Hardship Allowance
The highest monthly hardship allowance currently stands at 38,100 Kenyan shillings. This is typically awarded to experienced teachers with administrative positions (such as chief principals) who fall under job group D5.
| S/NO | GRADE | ISC SCALE | FORMER JOB GROUP | Hardship Allowance in Kshs per Month |
| 1 | B5 | 5 | G | 6,600 |
| 2 | C: | 6 | H | 8,200 |
| 3 | C2 | 7 | I | 10,900 |
| 4 | C3 | 8 | 1 | 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 | or | 38,100 |
What are Considered Hardship Areas?
The TSC identifies hardship areas based on several factors, including:
- Food scarcity
- Arid climate
- Security threats (terrorism)
- Examples of Hardship Counties
Some of the counties currently designated as hardship areas include:
- Garissa County
- Isiolo County
- Kilifi County
- Kwale County
- Lamu County
- Mandera County
- Marsabit County
- Narok County
- Samburu County
- Taita Taveta County
- Tana River County
- Turkana County
- Wajir County
- West Pokot County
Note: And as anyone might expect, this list is not exhaustive and may be subject to change by the TSC depending on their assessments and developments the government is carrying out in these areas.