CS Ruku: Govt workers missing in HR system by July to miss salaries
By Boniface Msangi, May 29, 2026Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programs Geoffrey Ruku has ordered the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and the Public Service Commission (PSC) to expedite the onboarding of all government agency staff data into the Human Resource Information System.
Ruku has expressed dissatisfaction with the exercise and warned that institutions that do not comply within two months will have their staff salaries withheld for non-compliance.
Speaking in Mombasa at the Institute of Human Resource (IHR) during the Annual National HRM Congress on Friday, May 29, 2026, the CS regretted that only 47 out of 575 state agencies had been onboarded to the human resource information systems (HRIS) platform.
“For accountability reasons, there should be no excuse for government agencies and state parastatals failing to onboard their employees’ data to the system that will help the government address issues of ghost workers and unlawful allowances,” Ruku said.
Ruku said the government would take stern action against agencies dragging their feet to ensure their staff is enrolled in HRS while defending the platform’s safety in managing the government workforce.
The CS singled out management of the public wage bill as a critical issue, warning against irregular payments, duplicated payslips, and working from the home system, which has been taken advantage of by civil servants to abscond duties.
“There is no way a police officer and a doctor could work from home as per the proposal. Some jobs are not applicable for remote work; we need to ensure service is delivered to all. We are urging HR professionals to help the government seal revenue leakages,” he added.
Institute of Human Resource Management
IHRM National Chair Odero Philip Dalmas, on his part, has called for accountability and higher professional standards in people management.
Odero has urged the government to second IHRM officers to the boards of top leadership positions to help shape public service reforms.
“We appeal to the government to consider our professionals in appointments based on merit to various departments of government for integrity and accountability and for the realisation of the Singapore dream,” Odero said.
IHRM Executive Director Quresha Abdullahi asked national and county governments to support initiatives that advance human capital sustainability.
She also set a May 31, 2026, deadline for practitioners without qualifications to renew their membership and comply with professional standards.
“We want to stop passing the blame, and we can only do that through the work we do. As we measure impact, we want to know what it is that we ought to do,” she said.
This comes as CS Ruku asked HR managers to deal with sexual harassment cases that are highly reported in different institutions.