Teachers across the country will, for the first time, receive a baggage allowance to cater for relocation expenses when transferred to new duty stations.
This follows the signing of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and teachers’ unions.
The move, which is aimed at easing financial burden experienced by teachers when relocating to new stations, will see teachers receive top-ups depending on the distance moved and the teacher’s job group.
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 in lower grades as B5 and C1, will receive Sh43 per kilometre, while those in Grades C2 to C5 will be compensated at Sh55 per kilometre.
On the other hand, teachers in the higher job groups, including D1, D2, D3 and D4, will earn Sh68 per kilometre when moving to new stations, while those in D5 are entitled to Sh80 per kilometre.
“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 today,” TSC stated.
Salaries teachers in each Job Group will earn in new pay deal
Grade B5 covers newly recruited primary teachers, while the D5 grade represents senior school heads.
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).
The allowance comes alongside salary increases of up to 29.5 per cent as TSC steps to reduce pay disparities between the lowest and highest-paid teachers.
Under the new deal, teachers under Job Group B5 who are currently the lowest paid among all teaching groups will get a salary raise of Sh5,827. They will earn Sh28,620 up from Sh22,793. The job group B5 is the entry-level for primary school teachers.
In this Job Group, the highest paid teacher has been earning Sh28,491. This teacher will get a pay hike of Sh8,609 to earn Sh37,100.
Teachers under Job Group C1, which is the entry level Job Group for secondary school teachers will take home Sh35,336 up from the current Sh28,491, reflecting a pay increase of Sh6,845.
