Nairobi MCAs launch probe to identify and weed out ghost workers

2Nairobi Members of the County Assembly have launched an investigation into allegations of ghost workers at City Hall in a bid to solve the ongoing issue.

This initiative comes as the menace of ghost workers and payroll at the Nairobi County government remains a thorn in the flesh.

Ngei ward MCA, Redson Otieno, sought a statement from the Sectoral Committee on Labour and Social Welfare, enquiring to know the exact number of staff employed since the Governor Johnson Sakaja-led administration took over in 2022.

The ODM legislator also wanted to establish the number of county staff who have retired or died since 2022 and whether their names are still in the payroll system.

"There is a need for the county to account for its workforce and ensure quality service delivery to Nairobians. Since the commencement of the current executive, several employments have been made and some officers have also retired or died, hence the need for a thorough report on whether they are still in the integrated payroll and personnel database," reads the statement.

Also, the MCA requested clarity on whether the county-integrated payroll and personnel database is up-to-date and the pension remittances of all the employees are updated.

The committee was given two weeks to respond to the queries raised by the legislator.

This comes months after the auditor general report for 2022/23 revealed that the menace of ghost workers is rampant, indicating shared bank accounts, leading to duplicated salary and allowance payments.

Gathungu reported that Nairobi County incurred losses of Sh15.42 million due to such duplications, with over Sh100 million paid out for unverifiable allowances. The AG revealed that four employees were active on the payroll without pay.

Further, the county lost Sh15.42 million, paid twice to some 178 county officers as allowances. It also paid more than Sh100 million to 459 employees for allowances that could not be accounted for, leading to a potential loss of public money.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja addresses the media at City Hall, Nairobi on April 24, 2024. (Photo/ Nairobi City County Government)

The 2019 City Hall Biometric Card Registration report revealed that about half of the county employees are aged 50 and above, with most set for retirement.

It showed that out of a total of 11,603 registered employees (6,118 female and 5,485 male), 5,709 workers are over the age of 50. The recommended retirement age is 60.

The number of staff between ages 50 and 54 was 2,978, those between 55 and 59 (2,712); and there were 19 individuals over 60 years old.

The workers between the ages of 30 and 49 were 5,723, while only 131 were below 30.

The issue of elderly and ghost workers has been haunting City Hall for a long time.  As a result, the early voluntary retirement motion was moved by Umoja 1 MCA Mark Mugambi and passed.

Mugambi argued that for the county to deliver on its mandate, it requires energetic people who are also conversant with technology.

He added that 60 per cent of the current county workforce, estimated at 14,000, is between 50-60 years old. He also said that about 651 officers would be retiring.

The legislator, who is also the minority whip, claimed that about 25 per cent of county staff have been slowed down by ill health and alcohol addiction.

In November 2022, barely four months after being elected into office, Sakaja had promised to clear the ghost worker menace by introducing a biometric system at City Hall to identify legal county workers but it has yet to be in place.

Early this year, the county government workers downed their tools in protest of the non-remittance of pension funds to Laptrust and Lapfund and the unlawful removal of the retirees from the payroll, while the Employment Act provides for the retention of employees on temporary terms to await the processing of terminal dues.

As of today, the Kenya County Government Workers Union (KCGWU), Nairobi Branch Secretary General Festus Ngari, said that the amount owed to Local Authorities Provident Fund (LAPFUND) by the county was overpaid, while that owed to LAPTRUST has never been cleared.