KNUT Teachers Protest Delay In Payment Of Hardship Allowance, Demand Immediate Action
Teachers in Nyatike have gone years without a hardship allowance they say they are owed, and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) now wants the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to stop dragging its feet.
Speaking at a public gathering in the constituency on Wednesday, October 28, Nyatike MP Tom Odege said Parliament had already approved his petition for the allowance. Yet nothing has changed on the ground.
“I do not know why we are experiencing these delays in this constituency. I had already written a petition to Parliament a while back to speed up the implementation of the hardship allowance in this constituency,” he said.
Nyatike’s case rests on its tough conditions. Recurrent floods, drought and other harsh realities make it difficult to attract teachers to the area, let alone keep them there.
KNUT Secretary-General Collins Oyuu insists the area meets the requirements for the allowance, but teachers are still waiting to see it in their payslips. He advised them to approach the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) so the recommendation can finally be put into effect.
The TSC Secretary General also acknowledged the teachers’ plight, particularly with national examinations just around the corner. He said he had pushed the report through every committee until Parliament approved it, and it now awaits implementation.
He wondered aloud why the SRC has not acted on it, arguing that teachers in Nyatike deserve the same treatment as their counterparts elsewhere.
“Teachers are suffering, especially around this time when we are going to invigilate examinations. Teachers will wake up as early as four o’clock to reach centres because of this region being of total hardship. We want to see SRC, Salaries and Remuneration Commission, be serious about this report,” Oyoo said.
KNUT Migori County Treasurer Felix Oloo added that the allowance will not simply implement itself, and the union has to be part of the process.
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