A total of 36 counties in Kenya have been flagged for breaking employment laws, including going beyond the legal wage bill limit, hiring staff irregularly, and failing to meet requirements on the ethnic diversity of workers.
This was revealed in a detailed report presented to the Senate by the County Public Accounts Committee, which is chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’.
The report uncovered multiple issues in how counties are managing their human resources.
Some of the major violations highlighted in the report include:
- Spending more than the legal limit on salaries (the wage bill threshold),
- Hiring staff through irregular or questionable processes,
- Failing to carry out proper performance appraisals for employees,
- Ignoring the law that requires basic salaries not to exceed one-third of gross pay,
- Not observing rules on employee probation periods.
Among the counties named, Kisii County had the highest wage bill, using up a shocking 60% of its budget on salaries. It was followed closely by Mombasa County at 57%.
Other counties with high wage bills include Laikipia, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nyeri, Murang’a, Homa Bay, and Nyamira, all spending between 53% and 55% of their budgets on salaries alone—well above the recommended limit.
The committee’s findings were based on an audit of the Auditor General’s reports for County Executive arms for the financial year ending June 30, 2024.
The report showed that many counties have repeated the same mistakes year after year when it comes to managing their workforce.
One shocking discovery was that some counties were paying salaries of different employees into the same bank account. Even though these employees had different names, personal numbers, and national ID numbers, their pay was sent to the same account.
This is a serious violation of Section E.2(2) of the County Public Service Human Resource Manual, 2013, which clearly states that every employee must receive their salary in their own individual bank account.
The report also criticized county governments for employing people who do not meet the required qualifications, ignoring the standards set in the County Public Service Board Circular (CPSB). Because of this, the Auditor General could not confirm whether the recruitment of these staff was legal or justified.
The Senate committee warned that unless these issues are addressed urgently, counties will continue to misuse public funds and violate the rights of workers.
The findings call for strict enforcement of employment laws and immediate reforms in county HR practices to stop these growing irregularities.
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