Ministries to Convene on 2024/25 Government Wage Bill
The Ministries of Finance, Public Service, and Local Government are slated to convene discussions regarding the government’s wage bill for the upcoming financial year following the completion of an audit of the government payroll.
This announcement was made during a three-day retreat organized for top technocrats by the Ministry of Finance, led by Permanent Secretary Ramathan Ggoobi, commencing on Thursday.
The focus of the discussions will revolve around the findings of the audit conducted by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) on the government payroll, addressing discrepancies and ensuring transparency in wage disbursements.
The special audit, prompted by long-standing complaints and concerns regarding the clarity of the public wage bill, revealed significant irregularities, including payments to ghost employees amounting to over sh53 billion annually.
With recommendations for the removal of 10,192 employees from the government payroll due to confirmed instances of death, absence, or retirement, efforts to rectify irregular payments and recover misappropriated funds are underway.
Assistant Auditor General Edward Akol highlighted the need for accounting officers to update payrolls accordingly and initiate recovery procedures for irregular payments.
