Special needs teachers ask TSC to pay allowances delayed for over 10 years

A union has called on the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to address a longstanding issue of unpaid allowances, which have persisted for the last 10 years.

The Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET) is concerned about the non-payment of salaries to over 7,600 special unit teachers, which it wants cleared in the 2024–25 financial year.

“We are also urging the commission to increase these allowances that have not been paid for over 10 years. In the 2024–25 financial year, we want the allowance increased from Sh10,000 to Sh20,000,” KUSNET Secretary-General James Torome said in Kilifi County on Monday.

Torome added that special needs teachers need Sh5 billion to achieve the education goals of all special needs learners in the country.

Charity Machocho, the second trustee to KUSNET's national committee, said it is unfortunate that teachers who are committed to assisting learners with disabilities have faced many challenges due to unpaid allowances.

The government should increase the allowances for teachers handling special needs students to minimise the challenges they are facing. Yes, we are thankful for the Sh10,000 that we were being given, but we are pleading for an increment since the cost of living has risen,” she said.

“Special needs teachers, like other teachers, deserve an increase in their allowances.”

In the 2023-24 budget, the TSC was allocated Sh316.7 billion to special needs, half of the Sh628.6 billion given to the education sector.

Last year, teacher’s union groups, including KUSNET, the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and the Kenya Union of National Teachers (KNUT) signed an addendum to the 2021–25 CBA, with the TSC to cushion teachers against new statutory deductions and the high cost of living.

The addendum carried two financial benefits: a basic salary review of up to 9.5 per cent for the lowest-paid teacher and 2.4 per cent for the highest-paid teacher.

The salary increase was backdated to July 1, 2023 in the deal that also saw house allowances for teachers working in rural areas and small towns reviewed.

According to the signed CBA, teachers in Grade C2 (the entry level for graduate teachers) saw their basic pay rise by up to Sh4,164. Those in the C3 category got an extra Sh5,141, while teachers in the highest level (Ds) got Sh4,883.

Teachers in rural areas and emerging towns also received a house allowance rise of between Sh2,100 per month for grade C2 and Sh8,700 per month for grade D4.