Teachers working in hardship areas get a special allowance called ‘hardship allowance’. The Teachers Service Commission, TSC, pays extra allowances (hardship allowances) to teachers working in areas classified as hardship. While classifying an area to be a hardship area, the locality must meet any of these conditions:
- Lack of or unavailability or inaccessibility to food,
- Inadequate transport and communication network,
- Limited basic social services and amenities,
- Persistent harsh climatic conditions like flooding, landslides and drought,
- Insecurity and high possibility of security threats.
Hardship allowance is therefore paid in an effort to compensate for the cost of living for teachers working in areas designated as hardship. Like stated above, teachers working in hardship areas face a myriad of challenges; from lack of water, flooding to hostile living conditions characterized by constant spates of attacks.
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Hardship allowances
In December, 2014, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, SRC, reviewed hardship allowance to be paid at a flat rate for all equivalent grades/ job groups. The Commission effectively abolished the pegging of the hardship allowance as a percentage of basic pay.
Administrators in Job grade D5 (Chief Principals) receive the highest house allowance of Sh38,100.
The table below summarizes the monthly hardship allowance rates that are paid to teachers working in hardship areas; per job group:
| S/NO | GRADE | TSC SCALE | FORMER JOB GROUP | Hardship Allowance- in Kshs per Month |
| 1 | B5 | 5 | G | 6,600 |
| 2 | C1 | 6 | H | 8,200 |
| 3 | C2 | 7 | I | 10,900 |
| 4 | C3 | 8 | J | 12,300 |
| 5 | C4 | 9 | K | 14,650 |
| 6 | C5 | 10 | L | 17,100 |
| 7 | D1 | 11 | M | 27,300 |
| 8 | D2 | 12 | N | 27,300 |
| 9 | D3 | 13 | P | 31,500 |
| 10 | D4 | 14 | Q | 31,500 |
| 11 | D5 | 15 | R | 38,100 |
TSC designated hardship areas.
TSC has designated various areas as hardship. The areas considered as hardship include those that are prone to terrorism, famine and aridity. As of 2012, TSC had about 38 areas approved as hardship.
Currently, teachers teaching in schools located in some parts of the following counties receive monthly hardship allowances.
Hardship Designated Areas.
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission is in the process of reviewing the allowances paid to teachers. As such, the following areas (currently designated as hardship) may be affected:
| S/NO. | AREA/ COUNTY |
| 1 | Garissa County |
| 2 | Isiolo County |
| 3 | Kilifi County |
| 4 | Kwale County |
| 5 | Lamu County |
| 6 | Mandera County |
| 7 | Marsabit County |
| 8 | Narok County |
| 9 | Samburu County |
| 10 | Taita Taveta County |
| 11 | Tana River County |
| 12 | Turkana |
| 13 | Wajir County |
| 14 | West Pokot County |