Ghost Workers in Homa Bay Pocket Sh300 Million Annually

According to a recent audit conducted by Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC), the Homa Bay County government has employed 1,786 irregular workers costing the county up to Sh300 million annually.

In a report presented to Governor Gladys Wanga and her deputy Oyugi Magwanga by a team led by Mr Simon Mutinda of PWC, the employment process was found to have significant irregularities. The report reveals instances of workers being paid high salaries without the requisite job knowledge or with fake academic qualifications used to secure employment, and falsified job classifications and promotions.

In response to concerns about alleged financial losses, Ms Wanga recently ordered staff and payroll audit to identify ghost workers and prevent further financial losses. During the audit, it was discovered that the county government had 129 employees who were not registered with the district registrar's office. An additional 287 employees failed to provide their necessary paperwork during the audit period. Another 556 workers were stationed at various places of work but did not have letters of appointment or deployment.

In the audit, it came to light that 10 individuals were arrested for presenting forged documents, whereas 322 others were deemed unqualified for their job posts. This included individuals who had availed academic qualifications that couldn't be confirmed by their respective educational institutions. Besides this, 479 staff members were drawing salaries, but could not be located by the Human Resources Department.

The audit also uncovered three minors who were employed by the county government. The audit was conducted in three phases with the first phase identifying legitimately employed workers. The second and third phases involved establishing a clear staff establishment and implementing a human resource management system for the county public service, respectively.

The county boss has sounded an alarm that the county will take action against any discovered to be earning money illegally. By eliminating non-existent staff from the payroll, the county expects to save as much as Sh300 million for the government. Consequently, Ms Wanga proposes utilizing these funds for developmental projects in other parts of the county.