The government is set to unveil fresh measures aimed at cracking down on payroll fraud as part of a broader effort to eliminate corruption and restore integrity in the management of public funds.

Taking to his X account on Monday, July 6, 2026, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes, Geoffrey Ruku, said that the government will address the nation on Tuesday to outline both immediate and long-term interventions targeting criminal activities within the public payroll system.

Zero tolerance on payroll fraud

The government said the planned address will provide a clear roadmap on how authorities intend to punish those behind fraudulent payroll schemes and seal loopholes that have enabled the misuse of taxpayers’ money.

“Tomorrow we will address the nation to give direction on the immediate and long-term measures we will undertake to punish, tame and impede criminal and fraudulent activities on the government’s payroll,” the statement read.

It further warned that the government will not tolerate any form of injustice or criminality within the payroll system.

“We will be intolerant and repulsive to any form of injustice and criminality in the payroll system,” the statement added.

Fresh crackdown follows audit findings

The announcement comes days after President William Ruto’s Cabinet directed the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to investigate a suspected Ksh6.2 billion payroll fraud uncovered during a government audit.

The Cabinet, meeting at State House on June 30, approved sweeping reforms to dismantle payroll fraud after an audit of 12 State Departments exposed unauthorised payroll alterations, irregular salary payments, weak controls over statutory deductions and major governance failures.

The reforms include a government-wide payroll audit, migration of all ministries and state agencies to the revamped Integrated Human Resource and Payroll System (IHRPS), enhanced cybersecurity, payroll data validation and tighter oversight mechanisms.

Counties also under scrutiny

The latest move also comes amid growing concern over payroll irregularities within county governments.

A recent special audit by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu flagged hundreds of suspected ghost workers across 26 counties, while the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) warned that payroll fraud and systemic corruption continue to drain billions of shillings meant for essential public services.

The audit found that 596 out of 2,354 sampled county employees could not be physically verified, raising fears that counties could be losing billions annually through ghost workers and fraudulent salary payments.

The government says the planned reforms are intended to safeguard public resources, strengthen accountability, and ensure that public funds are spent only on legitimate employees and essential service delivery.