KUPPET rejects Gov't proposal to slash teachers' hardship allowances

The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has opposed the proposed review of 44 hardship zones fronted by the government, which will in turn lead to a reduction of the hardship allowances.

The educators have termed the planned degazettement of some hardship areas, as announced by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi recently, as an overreach, adding that there was no public participation or consultation with the teachers who are set to be adversely affected by the move.

KUPPET, which termed the move as “unilateral and illegal,” threatened to seek legal redress if the government implements the proposal, adding that their hardship allowances are hard-won gains secured through a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

"Legally, the current hardship allowances paid to teachers cannot be varied through executive fiat,” KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori said in a press address on Wednesday.

“The allowances are secured through Legal Notices No 534 of 1998, No 196 of 2015 and collective bargaining agreements negotiated with the TSC. A Minister cannot take away a benefit that he did not give in the first place."

KUPPET stated that Mudavadi’s claim that the proposal to cut down on hardship allowances paid to teachers would save the government Ksh.6 billion annually is based on an unreleased Inter-Agency Technical Committee report under the Ministry of Public Service, Performance and Delivery Management.

The union boss Misori thus demanded the immediate release of the said report, urging that it needs to be subjected to public scrutiny before any policy changes are made.

“We urge Mudavadi to release the report and subject it to stakeholders’ scrutiny before making hasty policy pronouncements,” Misori stated.

According to the KUPPET SG, any revision of hardship zones must align with established legal and statistical benchmarks provided by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), including access to water, food, social services, climate, security, and poverty levels.

The union also highlighted that some regions have experienced worsening conditions and should instead be added to the hardship list.

"The National Assembly, having considered petitions from the public, has recommended that new regions including Chepalungu, Chonyi, Nyatike West, Nyatike North, Nyatike South, Rachuonyo North Sub-Counties in Bomet, Kilifi and Migori counties respectively, be gazetted as hardship areas," noted Misori.