Four days ago, the government of Laikipia County laid off 176 employees in an attempt to cut its 58 per cent rapidly rising salary cap.
While speaking to the press on Wednesday, County Secretary Karanja Njora said the top brass of the devolved unit was in danger of becoming convicted for not being in non-compliance with the Public Finance Management Act 2012, that calls for a salary limit of 35 per cent.
Mr Njora said on January 8, 2020, the County Public Service Board (CPSB) released a general notice of retirement to all workers, employers, and labor unions.
The committee has detected 176 staff whose roles are no longer feasible; the workers who hold them are not utilised in a productive manner.
Karanja Njora
He stated that the identification process for those workers was undertaken in accordance with the law, the idea of equity and in a humane manner. The workers [ affected ] will be equipped, informed and supported with a successful send-off kit to help them start a new life
The sacked employees were part of 3,179 staff originating from 32 of the country’s ethnic communities. The county pays Sh190.8 million on wages each month.
CPSB conducted a staff audit exercise in Nanyuki, Rumuruti, Nyahururu and Doldol towns between June 24 and August 17 last year.
GHOST WORKERS
“The audit revealed that some employees are not gainfully engaged, meaning that they earn a salary but there is no way of justifying what they do,” Mr Njora said.
CPSB chairperson Mumbi Mwago said that during the audit, three medical doctors were out of the country for training and could not be enjoined in the list of ghost workers.
“Failure for some members of staff to appear for audit simply meant that they are ghost workers and do not deserve to be on payroll,” she said.
During the audit, staff were required to present themselves physically to the board carrying their academic papers.
Governor Ndiritu Muriithi’s administration comprises 2,000 female workers and 1,179 male staff.
NO PAPERS
The report revealed that 254 workers did not have any academic papers. Out of this number, the Water department had 150 workers followed by Health and Administration departments which had 49 and 31 workers without academic certificates.
The departments of Infrastructure, Trade and Agriculture had two, three and five workers aged between 20 and 24 years.
The county has 1,167 casual workers and 1,593 staff hired on permanent and pensionable terms. Mr Muriithi said the Executive and County Assembly were keen on tracking down ghost workers.
“Now that we have this audit report out, we will be able to know who is working and who is not. We will remove both ghost and idle workers,” Mr Muriithi said last month after a Cabinet meeting.
“It is our wish to pay our workers properly through promotions. But the main problem is that we have a huge number of staff. Let us try to achieve more savings and channel it towards development,” he added.
The county government has been streamlining its operations through an integrated county management system where staff fill weekly time sheets of their work based on approved work plans.
Last year, the governor sacked 62 doctors who had gone on a three-week strike.