The Narok County government is currently conducting a staff audit to establish the actual number of county staff, their qualifications and capacities as well as weed out ghost workers. Addressing the press during the launch of the exercise at Narok county offices, Governor Patrick Ntutu said the biometric audit would also establish the employee suitability for the jobs they are currently undertaking and whether there are positions that have inadequate or excessive staff. ‘The registration will establish whether the number of staff in our records conform to the number of staff that can be physically accounted for and verified,’ added Ntutu. The Governor noted the registration is necessary to guide the county government on reducing the wage bill that currently stood at 34 percent of the county government’s budget. ‘Currently, the county government has a wage bill that takes 34% of the budget. The law sets the limit at 35%, which therefore means we are only 1% below the limit,’ said Ntutu. Ntutu said the importance of the exercise is to increase efficiency in the county government by ensuring employees have requisite skills for the jobs they do adding: ‘The audit will ensure the most suitable employees are deployed where they will be most effective and productive.’ However, the registration he added will also help the county government eliminate wastage of resources by identifying areas where county government payroll can be downsized as well as fighting against corruption and theft of state resources by identifying ghost workers. Governor Ntutu directed the employees to participate in the exercise warning severe disciplinary action against those who will fail to physically avail themselves. The three-week exercise is being undertaken by AGMOND International Consultants, a Human Resource body. AGMOND is mandated to establish how many workers the county actually has, any variance with the payroll and other records on behalf of the county government. The employees are required to present originals and copies of appointment letters on joining the government, letter for current positions, National Identity Card, pay slips, and academic and professional certificates.
Source: Kenya News Agency