The office of the Auditor General has raised an alarm about how Nairobi City County Government’s Executive side carried out its recruitment exercise, questioning the capacity of the staff.
The report for the year 2023/2024 has highlighted that the executive side of Governor Johnson Sakaja employed 3,834 staff without carrying out an advertisement for the said positions.
Also, the Auditor General said that the county failed to publish long lists and shortlists during the hiring process, hence making it difficult to audit how they were recruited and whether there were vacancies to be filed by the said staff.
According to the report, a review of the remittances for August 2023 shows that 74 officers in the executive shared a name.
The audit also shows that during the review, some officers’ basic salaries changed multiple times, with some changing up to six times.
Also, 3, 214 officers changed their job groups more than once, out of which 24 changed their job groups three times.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja at his office in Nairobi.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
The report stated that three officers had their payroll numbers attached to different national identification numbers while 24 officers had their payroll numbers attached to different Tax- pins at various times of the year.
In another shocking revelation, the report highlighted some key positions in several departments which were filled during the year under review are being held by unqualified personnel.
“An officer was appointed as Director Infrastructure and Information Security despite lacking academic qualifications of Master’s Degree in Computer Science or any other ICT related discipline from a recognised institution and strategic leadership development course lasting not less than four weeks from a recognized institution,” the report reads.
The reports state that the recruitment was done for cadres that could not be traced in the staff establishment, scheme of services and the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database (IPPD).
Among the recruited staff who could not be identified in the payroll includes Chief Executive Officers for City County Referral Hospitals. The county also failed to state the minimum requirements which were needed to fill such positions.
Another officer whose qualifications have been questioned is the Assistant Director of Infrastructure and Information Security. The audit report says that the officer is holding the position yet the said officer had not served in the grade of Principal Information Communication Technology (J/GN) or in an equivalent and relevant position in the Public service for a minimum of three years.
Also, another officer was appointed to the position of Assistant Director of Infrastructure and Information Security for job group P while the review of the personal file shows that the said person is a system analyst under job group L.
The report shows that the county employed the security warden officer in job Group 3 D as Senior ICT Officer.
Members of the public walk past the entrance to City Hall in Nairobi on April 19, 2024.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
Further, the County Deputy Director for Cultural Development who was appointed in April 2022 has no masters in cultural studies, anthropology, sociology, history or any relevant discipline.
In another shocking revelation that has exposed Nairobi County Public Service Board, a Principal ICT Officer was recruited in May 2023 despite not meeting the requirements which states that the candidate must have served as Chief Information Communication Technology Officer.
“Review of the personal file revealed that the staff was appointed as systems analyst (3) JG on February 2024. Further review of the payroll indicated that within the year, the staff changed job groups 3 times.”
