TSC Revises Hardship Areas And Allowances For Teachers, Here’s The List

The Teacher Service Commission, TSC, has announced a comprehensive revision of hardship allowances and the reclassification of hardship areas across the country.

The move, spearheaded by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), seeks to reduce the financial burden on the national budget by eliminating hardship allowances in some regions while adjusting them in others. Officials estimate that the changes could save the government approximately Ksh 6.5 billion annually.

Under the new framework, hardship areas will now be categorized into two distinct tiers: Extreme Hardship Areas and Moderate Hardship Areas. This classification marks a departure from the previous blanket designation, offering a more nuanced approach based on updated assessments of infrastructure development, accessibility, security, and availability of social amenities.

The changes, which are scheduled to take effect from July 1, 2025, will have significant implications for teachers and other public servants who have long relied on hardship allowances as compensation for working in remote, insecure, or poorly developed regions.

According to the SRC, the review was informed by notable improvements in infrastructure, access to services, and general living conditions in several areas previously designated as hardship zones.

Among the most affected by the new policy are teachers stationed in regions that have been completely removed from the hardship classification. These include areas such as Tinderet, Soin, Bunyala, Elgeyo Marakwet, and Tharaka Nithi, where the government has determined that conditions have improved sufficiently to warrant the withdrawal of the hardship allowance.

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The SRC has reaffirmed the status of several regions as Extreme Hardship Areas, recognizing that these counties continue to face severe infrastructural deficits, insecurity, and lack of essential services. Teachers and other public officers working in these zones will continue to receive the full hardship allowance.

The government emphasized that the decision to retain the hardship allowance in these regions reflects the continued challenTSC has released a list of 44 areas that were previously coded to receive hardship allowances.

Following the review, some of these areas have been completely removed from the hardship list, while others have been downgraded from extreme to moderate hardship status, leading to a reduction in allowances. The policy shift is expected to impact a substantial number of teachers across the affected regions, with many bracing for reduced earnings starting in July.

Education stakeholders have expressed mixed reactions to the announcement. While some have lauded the government for aligning hardship classifications with current realities, others have raised concerns about the potential for demoralization among teachers who may now be less inclined to work in previously marginalized areas.

Teacher unions have already signaled their intention to engage the government in dialogue, arguing that the removal or reduction of hardship allowances could exacerbate staffing shortages in remote schools, ultimately affecting education outcomes in vulnerable communities.

The SRC maintains that the reclassification is a step towards prudent fiscal management, ensuring that hardship allowances are awarded where they are most deserved, while channeling the savings into other development priorities.

However, education stakeholders caution that any reforms must balance cost-saving measures with the need to attract and retain qualified personnel in Kenya’s most challenging environments.

With the policy set to take effect in less than two months, teachers in the affected regions are now weighing their options, as the financial landscape of working in hardship areas undergoes its most significant transformation in recent years.

Below are 44 areas that were previously coded to receive hardship allowance by TSC. Some have since developed significantly and the allowances have been removed in some areas and slashed in others,

1. Suba – Mfangano and Rusinga Island
2. Kuria – Kegonga
3. Busia – Budalangi
4. Kajiado – Whole Region
5. Nakuru – Mbogoini and Makongeni (Lower Solai)
6. Laikipia – Whole Region
7. Kitui – Whole Region
8. Kilifi – Ganze
9. Keiyo – Whole Region
10. Marakwet – Whole Region
11. Kwale – Kinango and Samburu
12. Trans Mara – Whole Region
13. Mwingi – Whole Region
14. Tharaka – Whole Region
15. Mbeere – Whole Region
16. Malindi – Magarini, Marafa and Kakoneni
17. Machakos – Yalla and Masinga
18. Nyeri – Kieni
19. Kiambu – Ndeiya and Karai
20. Maragwa – Mukuyu
21. Nyandarua – Nyahururu High School
22. Nyandarua – Nyandarua Boarding Primary
23. Kericho – Whole Region
24. Kisumu – Muhoroni Valley and Sondu
25. Thika – Kakuzi
26. Koibatek – Kimgorom
27. Narok – Eastern Mau, Osupuko, Mara, Loita and Southern Olulunga
28. Makueni – Whole Region
29. Isiolo – Whole Region
30. Moyale – Whole Region
31. Marsabit – Whole Region
32. Garissa – Whole Region
33. Mandera – Whole Region
34. Wajir – Whole Region
35. Lamu – Whole Region
36. Tana River – Whole Region
37. Taita Taveta – Whole Region
38. Baringo – Whole Region
39. Samburu – Whole Region
40. Turkana – Whole Region
41. West Pokot – Whole Region
42. Mara – Whole Region
43. Nandi – Tinderet
44. Meru North (Nyambene) – Mutuai, Ndoleli and Igembe East, Buuri, Giika, Linjoka, Ankamia, Amung’enti, Thangatha, Mumui, Kiujuline and Akithi zones.

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