In a startling revelation by the Public Service Commission (PSC), State House and New Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC) top the list of public entities with unexplained workforce numbers.
A recent report indicates an alarming presence of 975 employees at these institutions, who are mysteriously absent from official staff registers.
The PSC’s compliance report, scrutinizing adherence to constitutional values and principles in government bodies, has uncovered a significant discrepancy.
While State House and New KCC exhibit the highest disparities, with 483 and 492 unrecorded employees respectively, the issue extends across various organizations. The report, analyzing the fiscal year ending June 2023, found an excess of 19,467 staff members when compared to the approved filled vacancies.
This revelation is a cause for concern, especially against the backdrop of the National Treasury’s projections of escalating government wage bills. Expected to rise to Sh589.5 billion in the fiscal year ending June 2024, and potentially reaching a staggering Sh983.8 billion by the 2027/2028 period, these unexplained employee numbers could significantly strain the nation’s budget.
President William Ruto’s administration is now faced with this compliance gap, as per the PSC’s mandate to evaluate and report on the implementation of Articles 10 and 232 of the Constitution.
The presence of these unrecorded employees raises several questions, including the impact on taxpayers and the nature of their duties, if any.
| Organization | Unrecorded Employees |
|---|---|
| State House | 483 |
| New KCC | 492 |
| All others | 19,467 |
Moreover, the PSC highlighted the operational inefficiencies caused by such discrepancies.
While some organizations grapple with understaffing, impacting their service delivery capabilities, others like State House and New KCC might be dealing with bloated wage bills and underutilized resources.
The PSC’s findings are based on a comprehensive survey of 523 public organizations, focusing on various aspects such as service delivery, ethics, governance, transparency, and fiscal responsibility.
The overall compliance with constitutional values showed a slight improvement, with the index rising to 46.01 percent from 41.7 percent.
In summary, the PSC report brings to light a critical issue within Kenya’s public sector, underscoring the need for thorough audits and rectifications to ensure efficient governance and fiscal responsibility.
