The audit report of Elgeyo Marakwet County staff commissioned in March 2023 has finally been released.
Governor Wisely Rotich received the report on July 12, 2023, from the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM) which was contracted to do the exercise.
Among the findings of the report is that 112 staff did not turn up for the staff headcount which was part of the audit.
This has raised suspicion that the 112 individuals are either ghost workers or did not have the requisite qualifications to hold the positions they were in.
Governor Wisely Rotich has since ordered the suspension of payment of salaries to the said staff pending investigations on their identities and roles in the County.
The audit report also revealed that there were 359 idle staff.
They appeared during the head count but their details were not found in the payroll.
IPPD system
Further, the audit revealed that Elgeyo Marakwet County has three payrolls which contain 2,611 staff.
It was recommended that the three be abolished and the county adopts the use of the Integrated Payroll & Personnel Database (IPPD) system. In addition, the Institute of Human Resource Management recommended the payroll be updated and also investigated.
The audit also revealed that some staff were receiving double allowances which was costing the county about Ksh11.3 million annually.
Moreover, the staff audit noted that there were some personal numbers that were being shared by more than one individual.
This is through the manipulation of Casual Payroll and manual payroll.
It was recommended that the County Public Service Board (CPSB) investigates the issue and also involve the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
After receiving the report, the Governor said the audit report would be used to streamline the County workforce to be more responsive to the needs of the public and guarantee value for money, paid in salaries.
