TSC Grilled by Parliament Over Hardship Allowance Disparities and Unequal Teacher Deployment Across Counties.
The Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) appeared before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Education and Research on Thursday, June 19, 2025 to answer questions on disparities in the payment of hardship allowances and unequal deployment of teachers across the country.
The Commission was represented by Acting CEO Evaleen Mitei who was summoned to clarify the inconsistencies in the hardship allowance payment structure with MPs pointing out that teachers in marginalised and rural areas were being treated unfairly compared to those posted in urban areas like Nairobi.
Siaya County Woman Rep Christine Ombaka said the definition of hardship areas needs to be relooked at. “Teachers in remote areas who lack basic infrastructure and amenities are getting lower hardship allowance than those in Nairobi,” Ombaka said. “The definition of hardship areas is not working.”
In her response, Evaleen Mitei said TSC does not determine the classification of hardship areas or the allowance rates. “We present our proposals to Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and National Treasury. They are the ones who came up with the classification. Once TSC receives that advice, it’s binding,” Mitei said.
Mitei also acknowledged that there are irregularities in hardship and municipal allowances. She said TSC will take the matter to Public Service Commission for review to promote fairness and alignment in teacher compensation in difficult environments.
Parliamentary concern also extended to uneven deployment of teachers with MPs pointing out imbalances in teacher deployment. Teso South MP Mary Emaase said some schools have excess teachers while others have none.
“We have schools with excess teachers and schools with no teachers so we can balance and wherever there is need, Parliament can budget for recruitment,” Emaase said.
Kabondo Kasipul MP Eve Obara also raised concerns that inadequate staffing in some institutions is contributing to poor academic performance and operational challenges.
Mitei responded that TSC is an equal opportunity employer and follows the Constitution of Kenya and relevant laws in all its recruitment and deployment. She said the Commission will continue to review and improve resource allocation to ensure teacher distribution is fair.
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The meeting ended with the Committee to follow up on the issues raised particularly on the definition of hardship areas, methodology for determining allowance thresholds and strategies for fair deployment of staff.
No changes were made during the meeting pending further consultations with Salaries and Remuneration Commission, National Treasury and Public Service Commission.
TSC Grilled by Parliament Over Hardship Allowance Disparities and Unequal Teacher Deployment Across Counties.
