Migori County has started a one-week headcount process to vet more than 4,000 county employees.
Migori Governor Dr. Ochilo Ayacko while launching the exercise at Migori Teachers Training College said that it was important for the administration to be aware of genuine workforce to weed out ghost workers.
He said that the taskforce entrusted with the vetting and verification process will go through all the documents presented to establish if the county staff merited in their various county posts.
Ochilo affirmed that the verification process will be accorded fairness, as encoded in Kenya’s Labour, practices and laws.
The taskforce will establish and understand how each county employee got on board and their progression in their various work stations.
The exercise was occasioned after the final audit report from the Institute of Human Resource Management Taskforce recommended among other things, the County conducts head count to determine the exact number of employees.
The governor said that the headcount final report will then be submitted to the county board and those found not to merit will be given fair chance to argue and attest their case.
Ochilo however, acknowledged that the law will be followed to address any fractions that may arise in the final head count report.
He affirmed that the process was not a witch hunt but rather a skill alignment and process to increase effective service delivery from an able and merit workforce.
“We want a workforce that is enshrined in qualification and merit to inspire our publics through hope and those in leadership to accord them fairness and justice”, Ochilo said.
The governor emphasised that headcount will not only improve service delivery, but also ensure dependability and quality staff that is satisfied and committed to serving the public.
He called upon all the county staff to cooperate and be supportive to ensure that the process becomes a success to improve their service careers and progression in their workspace.
The County joins a long list of other counties like Kisii, Bungoma, Nyandarua and Kakamega that did their head count to weed out ghost workers that have seen counties lose millions of shillings in clandestine pay saga.
By Geoffrey Makokha
