TSC introduces baggage allowance to ease teachers’ transfer costs, salary increase in new CBA
According to the TSC, the allowance ranges from Sh43 to Sh80 per kilometre, with teachers in the highest grade, D5, receiving the maximum rate.
Teachers will, for the first time, be entitled to a relocation or baggage allowance to support them financially when transferred to new duty stations, following the signing of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and teachers' unions.
The newly introduced baggage allowance is designed to cover transfer-related expenses and will be paid based on the distance moved and the teacher’s job group.
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According to the TSC, the allowance ranges from Sh43 to Sh80 per kilometre, with teachers in the highest grade, D5, receiving the maximum rate.
“In terms of allowances, the commission has increased the rates for payment of baggage allowance... All other allowances remain unchanged as contained in the CBA signed with the unions on July 18, 2025,” the TSC said in a statement.
Teachers in the lowest grades, B5 and C1, will be paid Sh43 per kilometre when transferred. Those in C2 to C5 will receive Sh55, while teachers in D1 to D4 will be entitled to Sh68 per kilometre.
The top grade, D5, which includes chief principals, will be compensated at Sh80 per kilometre.
Grade B5 covers newly recruited primary teachers, while the D5 grade represents senior school heads.
The new allowance aims to reduce the financial pressure often experienced by teachers moving to new locations, particularly those posted to hardship or remote areas.
Union officials have backed the introduction of the baggage allowance, calling it a fair and much-needed policy that reflects the realities teachers face on the ground.
“This is a progressive step that acknowledges the practical challenges teachers face when serving in remote or reassigned locations,” said a Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) official.
The provision is expected to benefit teachers regularly posted to hardship and insecure areas, where relocation is frequent and often costly.
The baggage allowance is part of a larger Sh33.7 billion CBA signed on July 18 in Nairobi. The agreement, which took a year to negotiate, was reached between the TSC and officials from KNUT, Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), and Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET). It is expected to benefit more than 400,000 teachers employed in public schools.
The first phase of the agreement came into effect on July 1, 2025, and will cost the government Sh8.4 billion, including more than Sh1.2 billion for pension and statutory contributions made by the employer.
TSC chairperson Jamleck Muturi, speaking during the signing ceremony, thanked President William Ruto for what he described as “overwhelming support” for the education sector.
“As a commission, our first commitment is to safeguard the welfare of our teachers, improve their terms and conditions of service, and ensure industrial peace and harmony in the public teaching service,” he said.
“It is only through this commitment that collectively, as a teaching service, we can achieve the aspirations of our constitution that guarantees compulsory quality basic education to all learners.”
In addition to the relocation allowance, the new CBA provides for a salary increase of up to 29.5 per cent. The structure also seeks to reduce pay disparities between the lowest and highest-paid teachers.
TSC has introduced a revised pay band that increases both the minimum and maximum monthly earnings. Teachers in Grade B5 (TSC Scale 5), who previously earned below Sh30,000, will now take home between Sh28,620 and Sh37,100.
On the upper end, teachers in Grade D5 (TSC Scale 15) will earn between Sh135,321 and Sh167,415 per month.
The new salaries cover all 11 teaching grades and represent major gains for teachers across the board. For example, a teacher in Grade C2 will now earn between Sh41,420 and Sh57,230, while those in Grade D1 will receive between Sh80,984 and Sh99,272.
These changes are part of TSC’s long-term plan to improve teacher motivation, retention, and fairness in the public education system.
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