Teachers working in Kenya’s major cities are set to be the biggest beneficiaries of the Sh13 billion salary and allowances adjustments implemented by the government as part of the final phase of the 2021-2025 pay agreement.
According to details released by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), educators stationed in Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, Nakuru, and Eldoret will receive housing allowances ranging from Sh4,500 to Sh50,000, depending on their pay grade.
Teachers in Nairobi stand to gain the most, with the highest-paid educators receiving a housing allowance of Sh50,000. The lowest-paid teachers in the city will still benefit, receiving a housing allowance of Sh6,750.
These changes were outlined in a circular dated August 29, issued by TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia.
The circular also indicated that teachers working in Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Nyeri, Eldoret, Thika, Kisii, Malindi, and Kitale will receive housing allowances between Sh4,500 and Sh35,000.
TSC has restructured the clusters that categorize teachers based on their locations, reducing the groupings from four to three.
Nairobi is now classified under Cluster 1, while other cities fall under Cluster 2. Teachers in all other regions are categorized under Cluster 3, with housing allowances ranging from Sh3,850 to Sh25,000.
While the housing allowance adjustments provide a significant financial boost for teachers in high-cost urban areas, there are concerns that the allowances in Cluster 3 may not adequately cover housing costs, particularly in urban regions.
In addition to housing allowances, teachers will also receive commuter, hardship, disability, and annual leave allowances under the new pay deal.
Commuter allowances will range between Sh4,000 and Sh16,000, while annual leave allowances will be between Sh4,000 and Sh10,000.
Teachers living with disabilities will receive a flat-rate allowance of Sh20,000, and those in hardship areas will receive allowances ranging from Sh6,600 to Sh38,100.
The circular also provides the official new salary scales for teachers, with increases ranging from Sh393 to Sh2,570.
These increments follow a similar adjustment made last year during the first phase of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) implementation.
However, not all teachers will see a pay increase. Educators in five pay grades (C4, C5, D4, and D5) at the minimum pay level will not receive any increment under this new deal.
Teachers in Grade B5, the lowest ranking, will see a minimum pay rise of Sh1,037, increasing their salary from Sh22,793 to Sh23,830.
By Newscreator