Teachers in Laikipia county have opposed proposals by the government to review areas that qualify for hardship allowances for civil servants in the country.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi presented a proposal in the National Assembly to reclassify hardship areas.
Mudavadi explained that improvements in infrastructure, social services, and economic conditions reported in areas that were previously designated as hardship zones necessitated a review and that the move would save the government Sh6 billion annually.
He was responding to queries by MPs on why the Teachers Service Commission has 44 hardship areas while the Judiciary has 21 and state corporations 16.
But the county secretary general of Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers Robert Miano said the government should have conducted public participation to determine the areas that have improved and which ones should be struck out of the list of hardship areas.
Laikipia, he noted, still experiences bouts of insecurity, banditry, acute water shortages and poor road connectivity.
“The issues that prompted the inclusion of Laikipia county in hardship areas are yet to be resolved. How can it be declassified yet we’re struggling with the same issues?” he said.
Just recently, he said, a teacher was shot by bandits in Laikipia North and is currently nursing injuries, adding that reports they may be excluded from hardship allowances have been received with shock.
“You can’t compare Laikipia to Nyeri or Kiambu counties. The challenges we face here are immense. Laikipia is a dry county with very poor infrastructure. Security in this county is on the same level as Samburu.”
He said it was concerning that the people proposing the changes were sitting in comfort and privilege in their offices in Nairobi and were unaware of the challenges those working in hardship areas faced.
Miano said teachers working in the county are forced to face bandits time after time, putting their lives in danger.
“As the government considers reviewing this policy, let it not touch Laikipia. Teachers working here deserve these allowances for the challenges they grapple with daily,” he added.
The proposal has classified hardship areas as extreme or moderate, with Mandera, Wajir, Turkana, Garissa, Tana River, Isiolo and West Pokot counties falling under the extreme category.
Suba North, Suba South, Narok South, Narok West and parts of Laikipia, Makueni, Kitui, Kajiado, Nyakach, Kilifi and Nyando counties have been listed under the moderate hardship areas category.
But Miano said the review risked demotivating teachers who will be affected, which would consequently affect learners’ academic performance.
