MCAs seek audit of county staff as wage bill hits Sh6 billion mark

Picture of Nakuru County Assembly. [Photo: Courtesy]

Members of the County Assembly have demanded an audit to establish the number of workers the county government has hired.

The Budget and Appropriations Committee has raised concerns over a ballooning wage bill they suspect is caused by irregularly hired workers.

Committee chairman Moses Ndung'u said they were uncomfortable that the government could use up to Sh6 billion every financial year on staff salaries.

"After the 2013 elections, the wage bill stood at Sh3 billion. This went up to Sh5.2 billion in the 2016-2017 fiscal year. And now we have a supplementary budget that will take the wage bill to Sh6 billion. This is unbearable and will affect the county's development programmes," he said.

When he took over after last year's elections, Governor Lee Kinyanjui promised a staff audit. But six months later, this has not been done.

Mr Ndung'u said the audit would reveal the number of employees hired since the county assembly froze recruitment in 2016.

He said his team was currently interrogating the supplementary budget that had been tabled in the county assembly.

The county treasury is seeking re-allocate more than Sh500 million.

School teachers

Ndung'u said if the audit was not done on time, it would be impossible for the government to recruit nursery school teachers and nurses.

"Hospitals and village polytechnics also need staff and equipment," he said.

The team has until February 13 to present its report on the supplementary budget.

The treasury said the excess money would be used to settle doctors' salaries following fresh negotiations.