EDITORIAL: Seal payroll loopholes and prosecute thieves to deter mismanagement of public resources

The Auditor General’s latest reports show a troubling trend across counties. Millions of shillings are being lost through fraudulent and poorly managed payroll systems. But let us be clear. Money does not just get lost. It is stolen. And behind every stolen shilling is someone who must be held accountable.

When counties pay ghost workers, retain officers past retirement age, or allow employees to draw salaries from more than one government job, it is not simply bad bookkeeping. It is theft. And this theft has real consequences. It takes away schoolbooks from children, medicines from hospitals and roads from communities.

Every stolen shilling is a stolen livelihood. The people who suffer most are ordinary Kenyans who rely on public services. They are left to struggle while a few benefit unfairly from a broken system.

The first step is to fix that system. Counties must fully digitise their payrolls, carry out regular physical verification of staff and seal all loopholes that allow illegal payments. Manual payrolls must be replaced with secure digital platforms. But fixing systems alone is not enough.

Also, there must be consequences. Investigations should lead to arrests and prosecutions. Public officials who manipulate the system to enrich themselves must not be shielded. The theft will continue if there are no consequences.

It is time to treat payroll fraud for what it is: a direct attack on public welfare. This is not a matter of routine audit follow-ups. It is a crisis that demands urgent action and political will.

Quote of the Day: “The worse a situation becomes, the less it takes to turn it around, the bigger the upside.”  —Hungarian-American investor, political activist, and philanthropist George Soros was born on August 12, 1930