Lawmakers erupted in disbelief Wednesday as it emerged that teachers in well-developed urban centers like Nairobi are pocketing higher hardship allowances than their counterparts battling daily survival in Kenya’s remotest regions.
In a heated session chaired by Education Committee Vice Chair Hon. Eve Obara, members of the National Assembly grilled the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) over glaring discrepancies in the classification of hardship areas and the alarming imbalance in teacher distribution across the country.
Hon. Phylis Bartoo took the lead, sharply questioning the commission’s reliance on the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC). “Do you just accept information from SRC as gospel, or do you advise them based on the harsh realities teachers face?” she asked, highlighting what many MPs viewed as TSC’s hands-off approach to advocacy.
Hon. Christine Oduor didn’t mince words either. “It is absurd that some teachers in Nairobi enjoy hardship allowances higher than those in rural outposts with no water, no electricity, and no roads. This classification system is broken,” she said, calling for a total overhaul.
Bringing a voice from the margins, Hon. Mumina Bonaya painted a dire picture of her Isiolo backyard. “We have schools with pupils but no teachers. Educators abandon remote schools for urban centers with better infrastructure and pay,” she lamented. Bonaya proposed that hardship zones be re-clustered to reflect ground realities and retain teachers in vulnerable regions.
Responding to the grilling, TSC Acting CEO Evaleen Mitei defended the commission, stating that it merely implements classifications determined by the SRC and Treasury. “When we do collective bargaining, we submit our proposals. But once SRC issues an advisory, it is binding,” she explained.
But MPs weren’t convinced.
Hon. Julius Taitumu questioned why Nairobi — Kenya’s capital and economic hub — would qualify for any hardship allowance at all. “This is an insult to teachers in real hardship zones,” he said.
The discussion also turned to teacher shortages and deployment. Hon. Mary Emaase called for a national audit to reveal schools with staffing deficits. “We have schools drowning in teachers while others are starved. We must balance this if we care about equity in education,” she added.
On employment discrimination, Hon. Rebecca Tonkei demanded data on unemployed teachers over 45 years old, a group long excluded from recruitment. In response, Mitei acknowledged that the age cap was scrapped in 2020, and that since 2021, teachers up to 59 years are eligible for employment. “We will mine data on older unemployed teachers and explore how to prioritize them,” she promised.
As the session wrapped up, the Education Committee issued a stern call: TSC must urgently work with SRC and the Public Service Commission to review hardship classifications, fix teacher distribution, and align policies with realities on the ground — or risk losing the confidence of both Parliament and the teaching workforce
