The country's wage bill has been a cause for concern and one that the government has been unable to tame.
A current report by Controller of Budget alludes to this fact and has given far-reaching recommendations, including a ban on the hiring of new staff at county level.
The Public Service Commission, in its 2023 compliance report, raised the unprocedural appointments of 250 advisers and personal assistants.
At least 250 officers were appointed as personal staff in the Office of the Deputy President and advisers to Cabinet Secretaries without competitive recruitment.
Some county governments have been turned into jobs for the boys club, some spending more than 70 per cent of devolution money on salaries and other perks.
According to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, the government’s total wage bill hit Sh1.1 trillion by June 30, 2023.
This is a sad state of affairs for a nation reneging on its legal contract with doctors.
On the one hand we are telling the doctors we cannot pay a legal deal, but on the other hand some officials are busy hiring busy bodies who have no business earning a salary because they are hired to do nothing.
All the austerity measures of President William Ruto will count for nothing when CSs and the county governments spend the cash to appease friends and cronies.
There must be a clear distinction between promising your relatives and friends jobs and the discipline required to not waste public cash in a country grappling with serious economic challenges.
The President will be well aware that the buck stops with him. He must crack the whip and eject the bureaucrats responsible for such malaise.
Quote of the Day: “I don't know what the future may hold, but I know who holds the future.”
Ralph Abernathy
The American civil rights activist died on April 17, 1990
