Nyamira County employees are now in a panic after the governor earlier this week suspended more than 1,000 of his staff in his quest to restore sanity to the payroll.
A payroll audit ordered by Governor John Nyagarama, aimed at sacking employees who were irregularly employed, has exposed a massive rot in the county government’s staffing system.
The names of several boda-boda riders and M-Pesa agents were discovered on the county payroll following the audit.
The report also showed that retired employees still appeared on the payroll while others who had been dismissed earned salaries.
The audit report discovered that most of the affected staff had fraudulently acquired their jobs with some paying up to Sh100, 000 to secure employment.
The report also showed that retired employees still appeared in the payroll while others who had been dismissed earned salaries.
About a month ago, Mr Nyagarama picked the County Public Service Management Executive Mr Bernard Osumo and Deputy Governor – Amos Nyaribo to chair a payroll audit committee which he had formed.
“Those affected will not receive salaries. We are investigating further to expose ghost workers,” said Mr Nyagarama.
In April this year, Mr Nyagarama sent all senior payroll officers to a compulsory three months leave as he sought to weed out staff employed irregularly.
He also announced the termination of contracts for at least 500 Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) teachers by end of May 2019. There are currently 1,351 ECDE teachers in the county, a number the governor says is too high.
The latest report by the Auditor General indicates that in the 2018/2019 financial year, the county executive recruited 532 staff, a majority who were early childhood development education teachers and nurses under the department of education and department of health, respectively.
According to the audit findings, the county continued to employ staff despite cautions on the ballooning wage bill caused by a bloated staff, eating into development money.
The Governor has warned that county officers involved in irregular hiring will be dealt with in accordance with the law.