By Lauryne Akoth
The Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, performance and Delivery Management Moses Kuria, has unveiled intentions to introduce biometric registration for all public servants as part of an effort to eliminate ghost workers from the government payroll.
In a statement issued on Tuesday via his X page, he expressed that despite being a highly religious country, efforts to eliminate ghosts (referring to non-existent employees or fraudulent entries) from Kenyan systems were not proving to be successful.
“As a very religious country, we are not doing very well in chasing away ghosts. This country is full of ghosts. We are paying ghost civil servants and ghost teachers. We are spending capital on ghost students. We are sending cash transfers to ghost elderly citizens.”
“As we accelerate our prayers to exorcise ghosts, the Ministry of Public Service will embark on biometric registration of all the 900,000 of us who are paid by the taxpayers including counties,” he said.
Kuria also mentioned that plans were underway to conduct a payroll audit. This comes after a report by the PSC earlier this month, stating that in the 2022/2023 financial year, various government agencies and departments had 19,467 additional employees beyond the approved staffing levels. As per the PSC, there are now more than 20,000 ghost workers across both county and national governments.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) report assessing the public sector’s performance in the 2022/2023 financial year uncovered the addition of 19,467 unauthorized staff to government payrolls, surpassing the recommended staffing levels for ministries and departments. Ministries and state departments had the highest number of unauthorized staff at 12,535, followed by state corporations at 4,558, and public universities at 2,287.
Among the findings, 15 organizations exceeded their staff allocations, with five having over 50% more staff than recommended. Notable instances included the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) with 115% excess staff, the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority at 72%, the State Department for Devolution at 61%, the State Department for Higher Education and Research at 69%, and the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services at 59%.
Six organizations exhibited significant disparities, with over 100 excess staff, including State House and the New Kenya Co-operative Creameries (KCC) at 483 and 492, respectively. Four organizations, namely KEMSA, the State Department for Transport, the State Department for Higher Education, and the State Department for Devolution were identified as non-compliant with the commission’s recommendations from the previous financial year regarding excess staff levels.
The presence of surplus staff led to underutilization, inflated wage bills, and strained workplace facilities. Out of 523 organizations, only 21 had developed comprehensive human resource management and development plans that guide recruitment and training.
In response, the commission has recommended that all public organizations formulate human resource management and development plans by June 30, 2024.