HR officers put on notice over ghost workers as State targets wage bill leaks

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku said payroll leakages continue to undermine service delivery and erode public trust, calling on HR officers to strengthen accountability and integrity in managing human capital across public institutions.

Speaking during the closing ceremony of the 12th Annual National Human Resource Management Congress in Mombasa, Ruku said ghost workers, duplicated names and irregular payments have continued to inflate government expenditure at the expense of development projects.

"The salaries and allowances we pay are not abstract figures on a ledger; they are a sacred claim on the sweat of the Kenyan taxpayer, and every shilling lost to fraud is a classroom left unbuilt, a clinic left unstaffed, a road left unfinished," he said.

The CS said HR professionals must become the first line of defence against payroll fraud by institutionalising rigorous staff verification systems and embracing technology to identify anomalies in real time.

"I therefore call upon every HR officer in this room to treat payroll integrity not as a periodic exercise but as a permanent discipline," he said.

Ruku noted that challenges facing the public service, including inefficiency, weak accountability systems, favouritism and poor succession planning, require urgent intervention from HR practitioners.

He urged HR leaders to streamline recruitment, performance management, employee development and compliance systems to build institutions that are ethical, resilient and performance-driven.

The remarks came as more than 1,200 HR professionals, policymakers and business leaders concluded the four-day congress themed "The Future is Accountability: Driving Human Capital Excellence for Sustainable Impact."

In a communiqué issued at the end of the congress, delegates resolved to promote accountability as a core organisational value, strengthen governance systems, accelerate adoption of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, and support reforms aimed at improving performance management and leadership development.

Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM) National Chairman Odero Philip Dalmas urged HR professionals to champion transparency, nurture talent and drive innovation in their organisations.

"Transformation does not happen by chance. It happens when individuals take deliberate steps to influence their environments positively," he said.