Public servants in the State Department for Basic Education must report in person to Jogoo House this week for a mandatory headcount, as investigators dig into suspected payroll fraud of Sh6.2 billion that has drawn in 84 human resource officials from three government institutions.
Employees are to be verified from Monday to Wednesday and must bring their original national identity cards, Kenya Revenue Authority PIN certificates, first appointment letters and current appointment letters. The Ministry of Education is leading the exercise.
In a memo sent on behalf of the principal secretary, Secretary of Administration James Kianda said a recent payroll audit by the State Department for Public Service and Human Capital had made a physical headcount necessary in all State departments.
The headcount covers all staff, including those who are hospitalised or on annual, sick, maternity, paternity or other approved leave. Kianda warned that salaries of officers who are not counted will be stopped, and he described the exercise as urgent and mandatory.
He also gave guidance on documents. Staff who moved from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to the ministry should present the appointment letter the ministry issued to them. For newly recruited Quality Assurance and Standards Officers, the same letter serves as both the first and current appointment letter.
84 HR officials told to step aside
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku said his ministry had received a report from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) implicating 84 human resource officials. The case involves the Kenya Prisons Service, the Kenya Police Service and the Ministry of Health.
All human resource officers with access to the payroll system have been told to step aside for 30 working days while investigations continue. The Ministry of Public Service has deployed its own officers to cover their duties.
Ruku said there was credible evidence in the three institutions and that arrests would be made before the 30 days end, particularly in the Prisons Service.
Investigators have flagged records showing some civil servants were recruited before they were born, and others listed as joining the service before turning 18. Other irregularities include several salaries paid into one bank account and payments to people with no valid bank details.
Preliminary findings suggest some beneficiaries were brought on through colleagues, including human resource officers, and allegedly used to channel irregular payments. Investigators are also checking whether some of the money was later moved to accounts believed to belong to the officials who facilitated the payments.
In June, the Cabinet directed the DCI to investigate payroll fraud, verify personal numbers used in salary processing, dismantle criminal networks, recover lost public funds and ensure that those responsible are arrested and prosecuted. It also approved a government-wide audit of the remaining State departments and public institutions, and ordered all ministries, departments, agencies and State corporations to move to the revamped Integrated Human Resource and Payroll System.
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