Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti has exposed part of the rot in the Machakos county payroll. Speaking during presiding over the swearing-in of members of various Task forces, Wavinya cited reports from the state department for public service.
In the instances, Governor Wavinya revealed that there were 36 cases of shared bank accounts, 14 cases of officers with the same Identity Numbers but different tax pins being paid by Machakos County, two cases of county workers with the same identity numbers but with different payroll numbers, 28 county officers with the same payroll numbers but with different Identity numbers.
Wavinya claimed that some county officials had collaborated to milk Machakos county government while the children in schools were fainting due to hunger whereas someone is getting salary twice.
“The list is from the national government, we have one case an officer with the same PIN but with different payroll numbers. ‘Hao ni wa kufungwa na wahame na jela‘ and there is no mercy. We have fourteen cases of officers with the same payroll numbers but with different PINS and they are being paid by the Machakos county government,” Wavinya said.
The Governor also revealed that there are eight cases of doubtful arrears payments. “You should go to Masinga, Yatta, Mwala, or even her in Lukenya and see how people are suffering, I distributed seeds but the population is too high and they had to share the little that I had brought to them and people are here stealing and filling their big stomachs for nothing,” Wavinya added.
Other cases highlighted are 11 cases of multiple arrear payments, 229 cases of duplicated arrears payments, 37 cases of irregular gross monthly pay, 109 cases of both special and basic salary payment, 2,334 of both rental and house allowance, 128 cases of both special and basic pay salary payment and 1226 cases of undeducted tax arrears payment.
“There are also 10 cases of non-HR officers editing records, 10 cases of unresolved disciplinary cases beyond six months, five cases of engagement of underage persons ‘yaani kuna watoto under 18 wanalipwa mshahara hapa’ I will deal with you,” she went on.
The task forces formed will help to investigate and interrogate the current state of Machakos County Government and recommend how to enable the government to work effectively in delivering to the people. They include Pending Bills Verification and Audit Taskforce, Lands and Houses Verification Taskforce, Human Resource Audit Taskforce, Vehicles Inspection, and Audit Taskforce, and ICT Infrastructure Audit Taskforce.
Controller of Budget in the report for the Financial Year ending June 2022 revealed that Machakos county spent 9.82 billion, which is 61.9 percent of the Budget on salaries and remuneration.
In 2018, then-Governor Alfred Mutua admitted to the presence of ghost workers in the county promising to deal with them.
In the 11.59B 2022/2023 Financial Year Machakos Budget, Employee compensation (Wagebill) was budgeted at 53 percent of the budget which violates the limit of 35 percent as per PFMA 2012. Missed the breakdown of the budget? Check it out below;
