Members of Parliament (MPs) have summoned the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to explain why teachers working in Mwala and Kalama sub-counties in Machakos County are not receiving hardship allowances, even though the regions face serious challenges similar to other areas already classified as hardship zones.
This move by the Public Petitions Committee comes after a petition was submitted by the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET).
The union raised concerns about the continued exclusion of these two sub-counties from the official list of hardship areas, even though teachers working there say they are enduring tough conditions that qualify for compensation.
The petition was brought forward by Mwala MP Vincent Musyoka. He stated that many teachers in his area have expressed frustration, arguing that the omission of Mwala and Kalama from the hardship category is unfair and has caused significant distress.
Teachers believe the working and living conditions in these regions are just as harsh as those in neighbouring areas that already receive hardship allowances.
During a session held on Tuesday, June 10, MPs supported the idea of inviting TSC to provide a detailed explanation on why Mwala and Kalama are excluded from the list of hardship zones.
They want the commission to clarify the criteria used to determine which areas qualify for hardship allowances.
Kitui West MP and Committee Chairperson Edith Nyenze said that the lawmakers are determined to meet with top officials from TSC and also engage the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
The goal is to understand the process and standards that guide the classification of hardship areas across the country.
“As a Committee, we plan to meet the leadership of TSC and SRC so they can explain how they identify hardship areas,” said MP Nyenze. “We want to ensure that no region is left out unfairly, especially if it faces real challenges.”
According to MP Musyoka, Mwala is surrounded by neighbouring sub-counties like Yatta, Kitui Rural, and Mbooni East – all of which are already gazetted as hardship areas. Despite this, teachers in Mwala are still not benefiting from the allowance.
In Kalama, the situation is even more confusing. Musyoka said that out of 42 public secondary schools in the sub-county, only teachers in 33 of them are receiving hardship allowances. The rest, for reasons yet to be explained, have been left out.
Mavoko MP Patrick Makau also raised a related concern about housing allowances. He pointed out that teachers in Mlolongo, which is part of his constituency, are getting a lower house allowance than teachers in Embakasi South, even though both areas are within the same Nairobi metropolitan region.
“It makes no sense that a teacher working in Mlolongo gets less housing allowance than one in Embakasi South. These are neighbouring areas and should be treated equally,” Makau said.
The debate over hardship allowance classification has been going on for some time. It gained more attention after the release of a report by the 2019 inter-agency technical committee.
That report recommended that some areas be removed from the hardship list, arguing that they had improved in terms of infrastructure and access to services after devolution.
On May 11, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba expressed his support for the teachers, urging MPs to assist in passing laws that ensure fair treatment across all ministries.
He said that if one government ministry designates an area as a hardship zone, all other ministries should follow suit so that all civil servants in the same area receive equal treatment.
“We need your help in Parliament,” CS Ogamba told lawmakers. “Let’s pass legislation that ensures if one ministry sees a region as a hardship area, all other government workers there are also entitled to the same allowance.”
Currently, 129 sub-counties across Kenya are at risk of being removed from the list of hardship areas. If that happens, teachers and other government employees working in those regions would lose their hardship allowances, potentially causing widespread dissatisfaction among civil servants in affected locations.
The outcome of the MPs’ push to review the hardship allowance policy will be closely watched, especially by thousands of teachers and civil servants hoping for fairer treatment in compensation.
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