The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has urged the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to speed up the payment of hardship allowances to teachers in Nyatike, Migori County, saying they have waited for years despite the approval of a parliamentary petition on the matter.
Nyatike MP Tom Odege said he had petitioned Parliament to push for the allowances, but implementation had yet to begin.
Speaking during a public gathering in Nyatike Constituency on Wednesday, October 28, Odege questioned the delay, saying the matter had already gone through Parliament.
“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,” Odege said.
KNUT Secretary-General Collins Oyuu said Nyatike qualifies for the allowance, but teachers are still waiting for it to be reflected in their salaries.
He called on teachers to engage the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to ensure the recommendations are implemented.
Oyuu said teachers in the area face difficult working conditions, including recurrent floods and drought, which make it harder to attract and retain staff.
He also raised concern over the challenges teachers face during the national examination period, when some are required to travel long distances to reach examination centres.
“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 this region is of total hardship,” Oyuu said.
He urged the SRC to act on the report, arguing that teachers in Nyatike should receive the same consideration as those working in other areas that qualify for hardship allowances.
Oyuu said he had pushed the report through the relevant committees and Parliament, but the payment process was still pending.
KNUT Migori County Treasurer Felix Oloo said the union needed to remain involved in the process, adding that implementation would not happen without further engagement.
The union is now calling for the outstanding recommendations to be implemented to ease the burden on teachers working in the area.
