Council of Governors (CoG) Chief Executive Officer Ms Mary Mwiti wants county governments to ensure all employees are put under integrated payrolls.
Mwiti observed that the law does not approve manual payrolls which were still in use in some devolved administrations.
On Wednesday, the CEO noted that the Controller of Budget has been taking a lot of time to verify manual payrolls presented by county governments thus delaying salary payments of county employees.
Mwiti spoke during a quarterly consultative meeting with county human resources directors and payroll managers held in a Murang’a hotel.
She divulged that lack of a proper payroll system has seen some county governments report high wage bills saying one way to tame ballooning wage bills was to have an integrated payroll of all employees.
“I would like to thank Murang’a county government for being the only devolved administration which has a seamless payroll since it has done away with manual payroll. All the county workers are put under integrated payrolls,” she stated.
Mwiti continued “County CECs for Finance have been entrusted to improve efficiency and enhance effectiveness in terms of management and organization of workers’ payments.”
The CEO further asked the county human resource directors and payroll managers to be in the frontline in ensuring all county employees are supported, motivated and compensated fairly.
“Your dedication to maintain a positive and inclusive work and environment directly impacts our ability to attract and retain top talent, which is crucial for the county’s continued growth and success,” she added.
She asked payroll managers to handle each task with precision and efficiency saying their reliability and expertise provide peace of mind to the entire county governments’ workforce.
“Our payroll managers are guardians of county employees’ financial well-being and their meticulous attention to detail ensures that every individual is compensated fairly and accurately for their contributions,” remarked Mwiti.
She encouraged the HR directors and payroll managers to work as a team and embrace invocations and technologies in streamlining processes and implementing progressive policies so as to promote diversity and inclusion.
Meanwhile, the CEO slammed the critics of devolution saying despite minimal resources county governments were getting, the devolution has achieved a lot in terms of development.
Out of the about 13 percent county governments have been getting from equitable share, only 7 percent has gone to development yet a lot has been achieved through devolution, she noted.
“We currently have more than 16, 000 health facilities across the counties, more health workers, improved infrastructure among other social and economic developments. Those saying devolution has failed, they are wrong,” she attested.
Mwiti called on the professionals working in various county departments to adhere to the devolution laws asking them not to be influenced by external forces which may plunge into a constitutional crisis.
“The law is clear where to get a directive from and that is from the county executives. Other forces coming from outside need to be treated with ultimate care. The laws and policies you follow should be the one aligned to the constitution,” she added.
On his part, Governor Irungu Kang’ata said when he took over the leadership of the county government of Murang’a, he ensured all casuals were employed, some on permanent and other put on contract.
He said the integrated payroll has helped to avoid ghost workers and ensure the payment of all workers was well monitored.
Kang’ata praised adoption of new technologies saying it has helped his administration to streamline issues related to human resource and in efficient collection of revenue.
“When I took over, more than 2, 000 workers were on a causal basis but currently those workers are put under payroll after being employed on a permanent basis or on contract. My administration is also checking the ballooning wage bill by restricting employment to only critical professions,” he added.
By Bernard Munyao
