Kisii County staff audit reveals 1,314 ghost workers

A staff audit conducted for Kisii county by the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM) has revealed 1,314 employees out of 5,696 never turned up during head count commissioned by Governor Simba Arati.

The management’s Executive Director, Quresh Ahmed Abdullahi noted the county also lost more than Sh600 million wage bill, a sharp increase between 2021/2022 compared to 2020/2021.

Handing over the report to the governor yesterday at the Gusii Stadium, she said the wage bill was higher to the one approved by the Controller of Budget.

The Director, accompanied by board chairman, Dalmas Odero noted that between October 2019  and 2022, the county lost about Sh4.5m through irregular promotions.

“ We recommend that the workers be surcharged and those who approved the promotions to be disciplined,” Quresh said during the meeting attended by deputy governor, Robert Monda, County Assembly Speaker, Dr Philip Nyanumba and several Kisii County Members of County Assembly (MCAs).

The report disclosed that between 2013/2021, 46 employees retired, one died but were still on the payroll in October 2022, adding, that 100 out of 137 employees with People with Disabilities ( PWDs) had fake certificates.

“The county has 44 Directors out of which 16 have administrative issues and it has been captured in the report for the count to take action,” Quresh noted. The Director said they had verified the certificates through Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) and urged the governor to follow up with relevant Institutions and  relevant authorities for appropriate action.