Inside Samburu's payroll mess: 83 staff, no roles but drew millions in salaries
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Samburu County Governor Jonathan Lati Lelelit in a heated exchange with senators outside Parliament buildings in Nairobi on April 1, 2026. A group of senators confronted the governor as he addressed the media.
Governor Lati Lelelit's administration was also put on the spot for creating a “Governor's Delivery Unit” and recruiting staff without the involvement of the County Public Service Board, as required by law.
In another anomaly, auditors discovered that two employees shared the same national identity card number while appearing under different payroll numbers.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, at least 83 employees of the Samburu County Government earned millions of shillings in salaries despite having no designated job titles, roles or responsibilities.
An audit has exposed what appears to be a massive payroll irregularity at the devolved unit, revealing cases of employees holding positions illegally, irregular recruitment practices and workers drawing salaries without clear deployment.
