Salaries of 600 county employees withheld in illegal hiring probe
Nandi County government headquarters signpost.
What you need to know:
- Governor Sang claims hundreds of workers were hired without the authority of the County Public Service Board
- Those who were not paid their salaries could lose their jobs if it is established that they were recruited without following the right procedures
- On Friday, employees under scrutiny staged a protest and registered their complaints at the office of County Secretary Francis Sang, claiming they had not received any notices about their employment documents
More than 600 Nandi County government workers have not received their salaries for September, amid an ongoing headcount ordered by Governor Stephen Sang.
Those affected are being scrutinised over their employment status, particularly how they were recruited.
This is one of the measures Governor Sang has said will help tame the wage bill.
Ten officers in the payroll section and others in the registry were suspended. He claims hundreds of workers were hired without the authority of the County Public Service Board.
Those who were not paid their salaries could lose their jobs if it is established that they were recruited without following the right procedures.
Preliminary investigations show some workers were hired on contract but were later illegally put on permanent and pensionable terms, while others have no personal identification numbers.
On Friday, the employees under scrutiny staged a protest and registered their complaints at the office of County Secretary Francis Sang, claiming they had not received any notices about their employment documents.
Dr Sang confirmed that pay for some employees was withheld and urged them to file their complaints as the headcount reaches its final stages.
In an October 7 memo, Dr Sang directed the affected county workers to officially lodge their complaints in writing to the county human resources department through their immediate supervisors within seven days.
He also urged the employees to furnish their original documents, including copies of identification cards, certified appointment letters, payslips for the latest four months and valid promotion letters.
They also need to produce Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) PINs and other relevant documents that they were given in the service period.
The verification was to start on Tuesday at the offices of the County Public Service Board in Kapsabet.
The payroll officers were ordered to vacate their offices last week, with Governor Sang questioning irregular employment. They were accused of being part of clandestine dealings in which the county lost millions in illegal salaries, a source said.
Nation.Africa has established that Mr Sang had taken time to name county ministers and chief officers because he first wanted to address the wage bill issue first.
