The Teacher’s service commission updates hardship areas regularly. The commission maps various areas while considering different factors. This areas also include the arid and semi-arid places that are usually affected by famine and/or terrorism. Teachers posted in these areas are paid a monthly hardship allowance that acts as a motivating factor since they face life threatening conditions that range from poor working environment to health threats.
However, the Commission recently excluded Nyandarua county, Muranga county, Kandara sub-county, Kigumo sub-county, and Nyahururu from hardship areas due to improved infrastructure. Therefore, teachers posted in these areas will no longer get a monthly hardship allowance.
TSC listed and approved a total of 38 hardship areas in 2012.
Some of the factors considered are:
- Limited services and social amenities
- High level of insecurity and/or probability to security threats.
- Harsh climate conditions such as floods, drought.
- Lack of sufficient food.
- Inadequate means of transport and communication networks.
Below is a list of counties that have been listed under hardship areas;
- Mandera County
- Turkana County
- SamburU County
- Wajir County
- West Pokot County
- Narok County
- Garissa County
- Marsabit County
- Isiolo County
- Tana River County
- Lamu County
- Kilifi County
- Kwale County
- Taita Taveta County
Recently, the commission added 4 new hardship areas due to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The added counties include,
- Baringo North. The areas include;
Tiaty East, Tiaty West and Marigat sub-counties.
- Kajiado county- loitoktok, mashuuru and Kajiado west
- Kitui County- Mumoni, Mutito North and Teikuru sub-counties
- Homa baycounty- suba and Mbita sub counties
Allowances
The hardship allowance is paid at a flat rate. In 2014, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission reviewed hardship allowances and abolished the percentage of basic pay.
The table below shows TSC hardship allowance per job group
| GRADE | SCALE | MONTHLY HARDSHIP
ALLOWANCE |
| B5 | 5 | 6,600 |
| C1 | 6 | 8,200 |
| C2 | 7 | 10,900 |
| C3 | 8 | 12,300 |
| C4 | 9 | 14,650 |
| C5 | 10 | 17,100 |
| D1 | 11 | 27,300 |
| D2 | 12 | 27,200 |
| D3 | 13 | 31,500 |
| D4 | 14 | 31,500 |
| D5 | 15 | 38,100 |
NOTE: Not all schools in the above listed counties are captured by the Teachers Service Commission as Hardship centers.
