The Nyamira government has commenced an audit of its payroll amid revelations about 1, 000 ghost workers could be draining county coffers.
Governor Amos Nyaribo on Monday disclosed that the county has sought the services of the department of public management to audit the payroll.
"It is true, we have not kept fiscal order for many years. In a month's time, we can be having between 500 and 1,000 ghost workers," Nyaribo said.
The county chief made the disclosures during a meeting with a Senate oversight committee where it emerged that the county spends up to 45 per cent of its income on the payment of staff wages and salaries.
Nyaribo is currently appearing before the Senate's Public Accounts Committee to respond to audit queries for Financial Year 2019-20
According to financial documents presented before the panel chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang, the county spends 45 percent of its income on personnel emolument. This is against the required limit of 35 per cent.
In addition, the county also spent 13 per cent of its resources on development against a requirement of at least 30 per cent.
"You are fiscally irresponsible. What mean have you put in place to address this issue?" Kajwang posed.
Nyamira Senator Okong'o Omogeni demanded to know the approximate number of ghost workers in the County.
"How many unaccounted-for staff or the so-called ghost workers do you have?" Omogeni posed.
The governor said the county has been forced to blow huge chunks of its resources on staff payment because of CBAs that have been signed by various cadres of staff in the county.
EACC officer attached to the committee said that the Commission flagged human resource management as the high-risk area in its assessment of corruption risk areas in the County.
The officer disclosed that they established that the county lacks a staff establishment, some staff have been employed without meeting certain qualifications and some staff are paid outside the automated system.
