TSC adamant on hardship allowances

Teachers Service Commission ( TSC) Secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni has maintained the removal of teachers’ hardship allowances in some areas was justified.

Teachers Service Commission secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni

He defended the move as a way cleaning the payroll. “We may end up paying erroneous allowances. We have gone back to the list and gazetted areas designated as hardship areas,” he said.

End of controversy

But as MR Lengoiboni sought to end the controversy over the allowances, the Kenya National Union of Teacher (Knut) has asked its members in 12 schools in Kericho County not to resume duty next week when schools reopen until TSC includes parts of Ainamoi constituency as hardship area.

Kericho branch Knut boss Stanley Mutai denied reports that the union officials had entered into an agreement with TSC on the degazettement of Ainamoi location as a hardship area. Mr Mutai said claims by the TSC Secretary were untrue because the teachers’ employer had referred the matter to junior staff who are yet to resolve it.

But Lengoiboni added the disputed areas are not hardship zones contrary to the initial classifications. And Knut national Chairman Wilson Sossion condemned the commission’s move to scrap teachers’ hardship allowances in some areas and issued a 14-day ultimatum for the reinstatement of the allowances.Among the regions degazetted by the commission are parts of Rift Valley, Coast and Eastern regions.

Affected areas

The areas under the said regions are parts of Narok, Kericho, Taita Taveta and Nyambene. Lengoiboni called for dialogue between Knut and the TSC to resolve the underlying issues instead of calling for strikes. He was speaking to journalists at Maralal town in Samburu County after attending the funeral of a relative. The schools in Ainamoi that have been degazetted  include: Chepkoiyo, Poywek, Ketibyese, Kamelilo, Laliat, Koitamat, Merto, Kiburet, Kapias, Murgut, among others. Poywek Secondary School was also affected.

By Michael Saitoti and Nikko Tanui, The Standard

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