CS Mbadi calls for abolishment of non-essential offices in government amid wage bill crisis

Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi called on governors to abolish unnecessary offices within county governments, arguing that these positions contribute little to the effective running of devolved units.

Speaking on Thursday during a meeting with governors in Naivasha, he attributed the ballooning wage bills, which are crippling county operations, to the creation of irrelevant offices by county leadership.

Mbadi criticised county bosses for hiring multiple advisors and assigning them to roles that he described as redundant, draining resources that could otherwise be put to better use.

“I know you have difficulties in managing your wage bills. There are so many offices that you are creating just because they exist in the national government. We should put pressure on the national government to disband the offices instead of replicating them. They make no sense, they are no use, unnecessary advisors don’t add value,” he said.

According to Mbadi, even the national government struggles with the same problem, noting that many advisors in key positions fail to contribute meaningfully.

"Even in the national government, we have too many advisors who don't add value at all. We have nine officers who are technocrats; if they are not put to the task, they should be removed," he said.

He emphasised the need to streamline county governments by cutting down the number of offices. He asserted that doing so would help counties manage their wage bills and save millions of shillings that are often wasted on non-essential roles.

His remarks come amidst ongoing tensions between the national government and county bosses, who are advocating for an increase in budgetary allocations to cope with rising financial demands.

While the National Treasury has proposed a Sh391 billion allocation for counties, the Council of Governors, led by Chairperson Anne Waiguru, is pushing for Sh439.5 billion, citing mounting financial pressure.

Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga echoed the concerns, highlighting that counties are facing significant financial challenges in paying staff and sustaining essential services like Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs.

The ongoing tussle between the Treasury and county governments follows President William Ruto's announcement of austerity measures after the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024, signalling a challenging fiscal environment for both levels of government.