Unless someone wants to
hide something or protect
someone, the issue of
ghost workers should
have been closed by now.
The government payroll is too
heavy for this matter not to be a
priority.
Meanwhile, government spending
remains excessive and wasteful even
as Kenyans continue to be heavily
taxed.
The Auditor General’s 2023-
24 report reveals billions lost to
mismanagement and theft, yet no
serious action is taken against those
responsible.
This, even as borrowing continues
to bridge budget deficits which
has continued to push up the
country’s debt, amid rising recurrent
expenditure which simply translates
to an expanding wage bill.
Kenya’s debt, currently at Sh11
trillion, continues to spiral out of
control, with overall government
spending projected to hit Sh4.34
trillion, up from Sh3.95 trillion this
year.
The government aims to reduce
the fiscal deficit to 3.8 per cent of
GDP, but this means little when
debt servicing alone takes up over
60 per cent of total revenue, with
government wages up to Sh1 trillion.
Even more worrying, the
government projects a 5.3 per
cent GDP growth rate in 2025,
yet there are no clear policies to
stimulate struggling sectors such
as manufacturing, agriculture and
SMEs.
Without decisive action,
and payment of pending bills, this
projected growth will only exist on
paper while businesses collapse and
unemployment continues to rise.
Despite CS Mbadi’s claims that
“Kenyans are not overtaxed,” the
reality on the ground tells a different
story of multiple deductions on
salaries and increased taxes to
businesses.
Given the existing taxes,
increasing fuel levies, and informal
businesses being pushed into
taxation, Kenyans are suffocating
and government must now shift
focus from introducing new taxes
to sealing revenue leakages caused
by corruption and mismanagement,
which includes the payments to
ghost workers.
The Budget Policy Statement
emphasises the importance of
counties in delivering services,
but the truth is that many county
governments have become centres
of corruption.
The Auditor
General’s reports expose billions
in unaccounted funds including
payment for services that were not
delivered and ghost workers.
KICC chairman and former
Transport PS spoke to the Star
