Audit report uncovers hiring irregularities in Sakaja's administration
Additionally, 3,214 officers changed job groups more than once, with 24 officers shifting job groups three times within the same year.
Governor Johnson Sakaja's led administration recruitment practices have come under scrutiny after the office of the Auditor General revealed that 3,834 employees were hired without public advertisements or clear selection criteria.
The lack of transparency has raised concerns about the credibility of the hiring process. A review of the August 2023 payroll revealed irregularities, including 74 officers sharing identical names and some employees experiencing unexplained salary adjustments up to six times.
More To Read
Additionally, 3,214 officers changed job groups more than once, with 24 officers shifting job groups three times within the same year.
Further investigations uncovered discrepancies in payroll records. Three officers had payroll numbers linked to multiple national identification numbers, while 24 officers had payroll numbers attached to different tax PINs at various times.
The report also found that some high-ranking positions were filled by individuals who did not meet the required qualifications.
"An officer was appointed as Director Infrastructure and Information Security despite lacking academic qualifications of a Master's Degree in Computer Science or any other ICT-related discipline from a recognised institution and a strategic leadership development course lasting not less than four weeks from a recognized institution," the report states.
Additionally, the report found that some positions filled during the year under review were not part of the county's staff establishment, scheme of services, or the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database (IPPD).
Among these were Chief Executive Officers for City County Referral Hospitals, with no stated minimum qualifications for the positions.
The Assistant Director of Infrastructure and Information Security was appointed despite lacking the required experience, having not served as a Principal Information Communication Technology officer (J/GN) or an equivalent role in public service for at least three years.
Another officer in the same role under job group P was found to be a system analyst under job group L. In another anomaly, a security warden officer in job group D was recruited as a Senior ICT Officer.
Concerns were also raised about the appointment of the County Deputy Director for Cultural Development in April 2022, as the officer lacked a master's degree in cultural studies, anthropology, sociology, history, or a related field.
The Nairobi County Public Service Board was also flagged for hiring a Principal ICT Officer in May 2023 without meeting the requirement of having served as a Chief Information Communication Technology Officer.
"Review of the personal file revealed that the staff was appointed as systems analyst (3) JG on February 2024. Further review of the payroll indicated that within the year, the staff changed job groups three times," the report states.
Since 2019, Nairobi County has expanded its workforce by over 1,800 employees, adding to the burden of recurrent expenditure.
Governor Sakaja stated in December 2022 that the county's staff had risen to 13,422 from 11,603 in 2019, contributing to an increasing wage bill.
A biometric report from November 2019 showed that City Hall had 11,603 employees, with 5,709 aged 50 and above, while only 792 were under 35.
The county has been spending more than Sh12 billion annually on salaries, allowances, medical expenses, and pension contributions, exceeding the 35 per cent ceiling set by the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act. This comes despite the county generating an average of Sh10 billion annually in revenue.
In the financial year ending June 2018, personnel costs stood at Sh12.89 billion. The expenditure increased to Sh13.24 billion in 2020 before slightly declining to Sh13.09 billion the following year.
Top Stories Today
