CS Ruku orders all public institutions to adopt centralized HR system in anti-graft push

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has directed all government institutions to migrate their Human Resource management operations to a centralised and tamper-proof Human Resource System (HRS) within the next two months as part of efforts to curb payroll fraud and eliminate ghost workers.

Speaking during the closing ceremony of the 12th Annual National Human Resource Management Congress in Mombasa, Ruku warned that institutions that fail to comply with the directive risk having their employees denied salaries and allowances.

The CS said the move follows a recent government audit ordered by President William Ruto that exposed widespread payroll irregularities, illegal salary payments and misuse of public funds across several state institutions.

According to Ruku, the audit uncovered cases where interdicted police officers continued receiving salaries, with some payments allegedly being channelled to fictitious bank accounts.

“All Human Resource management functions must now be managed from one integrated system that is secure, verifiable and impossible to manipulate,” said Ruku.

He noted that the findings had exposed major weaknesses in the existing payroll and Human Resource management systems, creating loopholes for fraud and abuse of public resources.

Ruku said payroll integrity should no longer be treated as a routine administrative function but as a key accountability measure aimed at protecting taxpayers’ money.

The CS directed Human Resource officers to ensure every employee appearing in government payroll systems is properly verified through documentation, biometric registration and clearly assigned duties.

He added that regular staff headcounts and continuous biometric verification would help seal gaps that have enabled ghost workers and fraudulent salary payments to persist in the public service.

“The technology exists and the policies are already in place. What remains is the commitment to enforce them without fear or favour,” he stated.

Ruku further challenged public institutions to adopt integrated payroll and Human Resource systems capable of detecting irregularities in real time and flagging suspicious transactions before public funds are lost.

He also raised concern over persistent cases of duplicate names appearing in multiple stations, irregular payment of allowances and unauthorised salary processing, saying the malpractice continues to inflate the public wage bill and undermine efficient service delivery.

The CS warned that failure to strengthen payroll management systems could erode public confidence in government operations while diverting resources meant for development projects and essential public services.

At the same time, Ruku called for stronger protection of whistleblowers within public institutions, saying officers who expose corruption and payroll fraud should be shielded from intimidation and victimisation.

“A transparent and accountable public service can only thrive when officers feel safe to report wrongdoing,” he added.

Ruku maintained that strengthening payroll management systems would help save billions of shillings in public funds while restoring integrity and public trust in government expenditure.