EACC flags Sh5.9bn in possible irregular payroll payments, warns counties

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has flagged potential irregular government payroll payments of Sh5.898 billion, warning that weak human resource and payroll controls could expose public institutions to losses and corruption.

An interim audit of the government’s Human Resource Information System (HRIS-K) for the 2024/2025 financial year found serious weaknesses in payroll data management, system integration and access controls, the commission said.

EACC Director of Preventive Services Vincent Okongo spoke at the 2026 Annual Convention of the County Public Service Boards National Consultative Forum in Kisumu. He said the findings showed the need for tighter accountability in managing public servants.

The audit found missing employee details, invalid Kenya Revenue Authority PINs, multiple identification numbers, shared bank accounts and staff recorded as posted before their actual dates of employment. Some employees could edit their own records, and millions of payroll records had been altered without proper timestamps.

Mr Okongo urged counties to verify employees, keep accurate personnel records and ensure that everyone on the payroll had been properly recruited and assigned duties.

“Human resource management is not merely an administrative function. It is a governance function. Every recruitment decision, every promotion, every transfer, every disciplinary action and every payroll transaction is an opportunity either to strengthen public trust or to undermine it,” he said.

He said compromised recruitment sacrifices competence, promotions based on connections demoralise deserving staff, and selective discipline entrenches impunity. Ordinary citizens, he added, ultimately bear the cost.

EACC’s corruption risk assessments in several counties found systemic weaknesses. Some counties lack approved organisational structures, staff establishments and human resource plans, which allows irregular recruitment, favouritism, understaffing and unsustainable wage bills. Others fail to recruit casual workers competitively, hire people who do not meet minimum qualifications, or keep casuals for long periods without regularising them.

Further problems include poor employee records, unverified academic and professional qualifications, weak background checks, and promotions made without following approved schemes of service. Some counties also have weak leave management, performance appraisal and discipline systems.

On payroll, the commission found failures to reconcile payrolls monthly, parallel payroll systems, breaches of the one-third salary rule, irregular salary advances, and delayed or missing remittance of statutory deductions. Such practices, Mr Okongo said, expose counties to fraud, losses and penalties. EACC has made recommendations to the affected counties, and implementation is at different stages.

The commission has also developed a blueprint for ethical and accountable county staff, built on six areas: ethical governance, ethical leadership, corruption-resistant institutions, stronger oversight and enforcement, behavioural change and partnerships with state and non-state actors. It is working with institutions to comply with Chapter Six of the Constitution on leadership and integrity and Article 232 on the values of public service.

Mr Okongo also urged counties to comply with the Conflict-of-Interest Act, 2025, which took effect on August 19, 2025 and replaced the Public Officer Ethics Act of 2003. It requires officers to disclose actual, potential and apparent conflicts and avoid decisions where their private interests clash with official duties. Institutions must keep registers and document recusals.

He said the HRIS-K rollout is an important step towards integrating employee records, payroll and staff establishment data, and reducing ghost workers. But he cautioned that digital systems need strong internal controls.

“Digitalisation must therefore not be treated merely as an ICT modernisation project. It is an integrity intervention,” he said.

He urged County Public Service Boards to strengthen their independence and ensure that recruitment, promotion, deployment and discipline are transparent and merit-based. The boards have 329 members, and each county has about 3,500 employees on average.

“The people of Kenya do not simply expect us to employ public servants. They expect us to build a public service that serves them with diligence, competence, fairness and integrity,” he said.