Audit flags deep staff shortfall at Kenya School of Government
Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu warned that the shortage is likely to derail the institution’s core functions unless staffing is aligned with its financial capabilities.
The Kenya School of Government (KSG) is operating with less than half of its required workforce, a new audit has revealed, raising concerns over the institution’s ability to fulfil its mandate of building public sector leadership and managerial capacity.
An audit report for the financial year ending June 2024 shows that KSG had only 507 staff members in post against an approved establishment of 988, representing a staffing level of just 51.3 per cent.
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The Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu warned that the shortage is likely to derail the institution’s core functions unless staffing is aligned with its financial capabilities.
“Review of the school’s establishment records revealed that the school had an approved staff establishment of 988. However, the School had an in-post of 507 staff members, resulting in a shortage of 481,” Gathungu stated in the report.
She cautioned that, “under the circumstances, the school may not be able to achieve its objectives.
Further, the school should work out the optimal staffing levels, taking into account its financial performance.”
KSG is a State agency tasked with training civil servants and enhancing governance across government institutions. The report now puts a spotlight on its capacity to meet this goal in the face of a worsening staffing crisis.
Financial statements from the period under review show that the institution’s total non-current assets stood at Sh9.1 billion.
However, the school was also weighed down by long-standing payables amounting to Sh2.05 billion, with Sh925.7 million of that remaining unsettled for over 90 days.
The report further highlights the funding gap that affected the school’s operations during the year.
KSG had been allocated a budget of Sh2.9 billion but received only Sh2.1 billion in exchequer releases, reflecting a 26 per cent shortfall equivalent to Sh744.2 million.
Despite the underfunding, the institution went on to spend Sh2.3 billion, exceeding the actual government disbursement by Sh156.5 million, translating to a 7 per cent over-expenditure.
The audit findings raise questions about the sustainability of KSG’s operations and whether it can continue delivering quality training and leadership development to public servants with such financial and human resource constraints.
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