Post-primary school teachers in Kilifi County have started collecting signatures to petition the Teachers Service Commission over their lack of enhanced house allowance.
Led by the Secretary General of the Kenya Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Mr Opolo Kopolo, the teachers from Kilifi, Mtwapa, Mariakani, Mazeras, Watamu and Kaloleni towns claim that their counterparts in municipalities were earning the enhanced house allowance and they too should be considered since they work and stay in big towns where life was expensive.
“Life is very expensive for teachers residing in towns and what we are asking the TCS to do is to consider them in the enhanced house allowance category. We are starting with the enhanced house allowance and when we succeed we shall also petition our employer over hardship allowance for our teachers in remote areas,” he said.
The enhanced house allowance is a programme where teachers working in towns and municipalities get extra amounts in the normal house allowances since the areas they operate in are urban areas where life is expensive.
Mr Kioko Muli, a teacher in Kilifi town said that life in the town was expensive compared to other areas and there was a need for an enhanced house allowance.
He added that he was struggling to stay in Kilifi town since everything was expensive, hence forcing him to dig deep into his pocket to foot bills.
“The cheapest house in Kilifi town is a single room costing Sh. 6,000 and you can’t live in it with your family and that is why we are demanding the enhanced house allowance. Teachers in these towns are struggling.
Ms Risper Anjawa, a KUPPET official in the County said that they will ride motorcycles as the cheapest means to access all the teachers in the towns to append their signatures to the petition.
“We are using boda bodas so that we can access all the teachers with ease so that we complete the signature collection process,” she said.
Her sentiments were echoed by Mr Jairus Sang’ who appealed to the TSC to make the life of teachers better by according them to the necessary allowances.
“Teachers in towns such as Malindi are enjoying the enhanced house allowance but their counterparts in the mentioned towns have lagged behind and TSC should move with speed to give them these allowances,” he said.
