Teachers finally get leave allowances

Kenya National Union of Teachers chairman Mudzo Nzili (left) with the Union's secretary-general Wilson Sossion and other leaders at Teacher Service Commission's offices in Nairobi on January 15, 2016. Teachers have finally been given leave, hardshisp and holiday allowances. PHOTO | JAMES EKWAM | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The leave allowance totalling Sh1.5 billion will be paid all at once with the January salary.

  • Teachers don’t apply for leave as they usually rest when the students are on holiday.

  • The three allowances; house, hardship and leave, were awarded by the TSC last year after unions agitated for a pay rise in December 2014.

Teachers are smiling all the way to the bank after their employer, for the first time, paid them an annual leave allowance.

The highest paid teachers, who are the chief principals, will take home a leave allowance of Sh10,000, whereas the lowest paid teacher, a P1, will get Sh4,000.

The allowances have considerably raised their gross salary this month.

The Teachers Service Commission head of communication, Mr Kihumba Kamotho, confirmed the payment, saying it was implemented following consultations with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.

“The money will be paid with the January salary, and for ease of payroll administration, the allowance will subsequently be paid to all the teachers every January,” said Mr Kamotho.

The leave allowance totalling Sh1.5 billion will be paid all at once with the January salary.

Teachers don’t apply for leave as they usually rest when the students are on holiday.

ALLOWANCES

Besides the annual leave allowance, the teachers are also getting a three-phase house allowance increase and hardship allowance

The three allowances; house, hardship and leave, were awarded by the TSC last year after unions agitated for a pay rise in December 2014.

For the house allowance, teachers are getting them in three phases.

The first phase was implemented in September 2015 and backdated to July 2015, the second phase will be implemented in July and the final phase in July next year.

House allowance is determined by the region where a teacher works, those in Nairobi enjoy a higher allowance compared to their counterparts in other regions.

In a departure from tradition, hardship allowance is now being paid as a flat rate and not as a percentage of the basic salary.

Under the new pay structure, the best-paid teachers are taking home a hardship allowance of Sh38,100 while the lowest-paid will get Sh5,700, up from Sh3,354.

The allowances will cost tax payers Sh8 billion.

The unions have, however, been agitating for an increase in the basic pay for teachers, saying the tutors’ pension is calculated from their basic pay, without the allowances.

Union remittances are also calculated from their members’ basic pay.