Employees of Nandi County government are in a state of alarm following a human resource audit that recommended downsizing to reduce the wage bill.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) audit report, delivered to Governor Stephen Sang in Kapsabet yesterday, identified several issues and proposed significant measures, including reducing the wage bill to more manageable levels.
The PSC report specifically targets county government employees who receive their salaries outside of the government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Data (IPPD) system, suggesting that they are being paid through alternative channels.
PSC Chairman Antony Muchiri emphasized the need for immediate action to implement the report’s recommendations to enhance service delivery to residents. He highlighted that, like the other 46 counties in Kenya, Nandi County suffers from inadequate human resource structures, leading to poor service delivery.
Muchiri commended the county leadership for addressing the issue of the growing wage bill and stressed the importance of establishing proper organizational structures in all counties for effective staff placement. The commission has recommended disciplinary action against county officials involved in payroll manipulation, noting instances where employees have been given high salaries despite lacking the necessary qualifications.
“There have been cases of manipulation of terms and conditions of service of certain workers, earning so high yet have no qualifications and others put illegally on permanent terms without the approval of the board,” the commission report noted.
Nandi County is one of the counties with the highest wage bill of 58 percent in which governor Sang revealed that he was ready to confront it to have more resources for development.
“I decided to bite the bullet in order to have more development activities that will change the livelihoods of the people than salaries hence the reason I invited PSC for the human resource Audit exercise,” Sang explained. He vowed to implement the report in full asking Nandi county assembly to provide a way forward ones it is tabled.
“I’m going to convene a county executive committee members sitting next week for adoption and will forward it to the assembly for a way forward on its implementation,” governor Sang noted.
