• Natembeya said the casual workers were hired before he became governor
• The casual workers include house helps, shamba boys and children of former top officers who earn Sh15,000 monthly but they do not report to work.
Image: BY MATHEWS NDANYI
Trans Nzoia county is facing a wage bill crisis, with more than 700 irregularly hired casual workers on the payroll, Governor George Natembeya has said.
Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has questioned the use of more than Sh500 million to pay the casual workers.
Natembeya said the casual workers were hired before he became governor and his efforts to resolve the matter were allegedly being frustrated by opponents on claims he wants to sack them.
The governor has claimed the casual workers include house helps, shamba boys and children of former top officers who earn Sh15,000 monthly but they do not report to work.
“They earn from the county but work as house helps in some homes or are students in colleges. This is not proper and we have to stop it,” Natembeya said.
He claimed most of the casual labourers were brought into the system by some former senior county staff and politicians, who sought to benefit illegally from employment, and who are now trying to discredit the county's efforts to stop their illegal income stream.
The governor said many people claiming to be casual labourers were earning millions but were not delivering services.
"The report has shown that we are paying people who are not even at their said place of work. We have people who have not been seen for years, only appearing during headcount," Natembeya said.
"We must clean our system from these corrupt practices that have denied Trans Nzoia residents millions of shillings that would have been used to fund development projects."
He said he will engage the Controller of Budget and the Senate to find ways of resolving the casual labourers problem.
Natembeya said his ongoing crusade against corruption, nepotism and the misuse of public resources in Trans Nzoia had ruffled feathers among the county's political elite and beneficiaries of the illegal dealings.
The governor said he had to act following a recent damning report from the Auditor General and a task force report, which exposed widespread irregularities in the county's financial management and public service management.
Natembeya has insisted he will ensure the county is cleansed of what he terms as the misuse of power by former senior county staff who employed their relatives as casual labourers.
He pledged to ensure Trans Nzoia residents enjoy the benefits of devolution.
“We bear witness to some people using the system to steal from residents. When we came in, we found a rotten system. I am ready to clean it for the betterment of our people," Natembeya said.
"I will not allow people to steal our money through the employment of casual labourers who are ghost workers and cannot be found.”
The county boss said he will follow up to ensure recommendations in the Auditor General's report are dealt with fully.
“We want a clean government free from corruption and illegal dealings. We will not allow corrupt people to continue benefiting from our taxes,” he said.
The recent reports revealed significant discrepancies in the county's casual labour force, with 702 casual workers being paid through a manual payroll, despite 682 of them exceeding the prescribed three-month engagement period.
Gathungu had indicated in her report that there was no evidence presented to confirm the hiring of the casual workers had been approved by the County Public Service Board, in violation of the Employment Act and the County Human Resource Manual.
The audit report indicates 515 of the casual labourers were paid more than Sh95 million annually without proper procedures and accountability.
The Auditor General's report highlighted several key irregularities, including employment of casual labourers for extended periods without the necessary approvals.
The report further revealed the county, since 2013, has been paying salaries to employees outside the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.
Governor Natembeya said his efforts had support from the public, who have long been frustrated by the rampant corruption that has plagued the county in the past.