The Vihiga County Assembly has approved a six-month freeze on all new hiring by the county government in a move aimed at addressing its rising wage bill.
On Wednesday, MCAs unanimously endorsed a motion tabled by Wodanga ward representative Vincent Athiaya, who argued that recurrent expenditure had already exceeded legal limits set under the Public Finance Management Act.
While moving the motion, Athiaya told the assembly that despite repeated warnings from the Auditor General and the Controller of Budget, the executive had continued to hire and deploy new personnel, further straining the county’s finances.
The trend risked undermining development projects, as a disproportionate share of county revenue was being consumed by salaries and allowances.
“Vihiga is spending far too much on wages compared to what is available for services and development. If this continues unchecked, our people will suffer the consequences,” Athiaya said.
The motion compels the county executive to suspend all recruitment and redeployment of staff for six months, during which a comprehensive audit of the human resource records will be undertaken.
The review is expected to identify ghost workers, redundancies and cases of irregular employment.
MCAs said the wage bill had reached unsustainable levels, leaving little room for investment in key sectors such as health, agriculture and infrastructure.
“We cannot allow recurrent expenditure to eat up nearly everything while our roads remain impassable and hospitals lack basic supplies,” said one MCA during the debate.
The Controller of Budget has previously flagged Vihiga among the counties whose wage bills far exceed the 35 per cent ceiling set by law, warning that continued disregard for the limit could compromise fiscal discipline.
With the freeze now in place, the executive will be required to report back to the assembly on progress made in realigning staff numbers with budgetary realities before any future hiring can be considered.
Instant Analysis
The Vihiga County Assembly’s decision to freeze hiring for six months highlights a growing crisis in devolved units where wage bills are swallowing up resources meant for development. By exceeding the 35 per cent ceiling set in law, Vihiga risks sliding into financial paralysis, with basic services suffering as salaries take precedence. The freeze signals rare political will to confront a problem flagged repeatedly by oversight bodies but ignored by county executives. The upcoming staff audit will be critical in exposing ghost workers and redundancies. The success or failure of this measure could set a precedent for other cash-strapped counties.
