Kuppet demands harmonisation of house allowances

Kuppet secretary General Akello Misori in Nairobi on 20/12/18. [Photo, File]

A teachers' union wants parliament to press for better house allowances for its members, if they are to agree to mass transfers.

The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) said teachers are opposed to the delocalisation policy because of poor housing allowances.

According to Kuppet members in Nairobi, especially those in job Grade D5, their house allowance is Sh50,000. Their peers in other towns like Mombasa, Kisumu, Malindi and Kilifi earn Sh35,000.

Those in Nyeri, Eldoret, Kericho, Kakamega and Embu earn Sh25,000.

Kuppet Secretary General Akello Misori told Parliament's Committee on Education that delocalisation is a tactic to intimidate teachers.

“Kuppet is of the view that the issue of house allowance should be addressed so that a teacher in Nairobi will earn the same allowance when he is transferred to another town," said Mr Misori.

"This will to some extent cure the resistance of the ‘delocalisation’ policy fronted by the employer, which we were not consulted on,” said Kuppet Secretary General Akello Misori.

Kuppet told the committee that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) should cease any efforts to implement the policy.

“We have carefully searched for the word 'delocalisation' in official documents including the TSC Act and the Code of Regulations and we have not found it," said Mr Misori.

"What we see are reports about the policy, which this committee has now validated by calling for hearings on its implementations."

Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) assistant deputy secretary general Clement Omollo, while presenting Knut's views earlier, told the MPs that the term ‘delocalisation’ is derogatory.

He said TSC should look for a more humane term