In a continued effort to streamline the public service payroll, the Ministry of Public Service has deactivated 4,149 employees across various ministries, agencies, and local governments, The Independent Magazine reported on Thursday, January 23.
Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Public Service, stated that this decision follows a second round of validation and headcount exercises conducted between March 11 and June 28, 2024, as recommended by the Office of the Auditor General.
“The validation report was submitted to Cabinet, and under Minute No. 347 (CT 2024), a Sub-Committee was appointed to refine the Ministry’s recommendations and provide feedback within two weeks. On January 9, 2025, the Committee convened and directed the deactivation of the identified records from the payroll,” Bitarakwate stated, according to The Independent Magazine.
According to the Ministry's circular, the 4,149 deactivated employees include 2,967 individuals who failed to attend the second round of validation, 15 suspected ghost workers, 557 employees who continued receiving salaries after retirement or resignation, 368 absconders who remained on the payroll, and 242 deceased officers whose records had not been removed.
A financial analysis of the payroll cleanup estimates that the government will save 2.51 billion shillings monthly. Employees who missed the validation exercise accounted for 1.5 billion shillings, ghost workers cost 9.2 million shillings, retired or resigned employees drew 538.3 million shillings, absconders 291.8 million shillings, while deceased officers accounted for 215.6 million shillings.
The findings highlight the financial strain of an inaccurate payroll and reinforce the importance of the exercise.
Bitarakwate confirmed that all individuals in the listed categories have been removed from the January 2025 payroll. She urged accounting officers to recommend any deactivated employees eligible for reactivation by submitting a clearance letter personally signed by the responsible officer.
She emphasised that the clearance letter must be issued individually and accompanied by original academic and professional documents, original appointment and confirmation letters, original National Identity Card and employer Identity Card, pay slips for December 2024 and January 2025, as well as certified minutes of appointment.
“The clearance letter should be personal and not shared, accompanied by original academic and professional documents, original appointment and confirmation letters, original National Identity Card and employer Identity Card, pay slips for December 2024 and January 2025, as well as certified minutes of appointment,” she reiterated.
She further stated that revalidation opportunities will only be available between January 20 and February 7, 2025.
In July 2024, the Ministry of Public Service had initially listed over 7,000 employees for removal from the payroll after failing to meet the Auditor General's requirements. However, some cases were reviewed, leading to adjustments reflected in the latest payroll cleanup.