Counties face October 1 deadline to switch management systems

The Counties have until October 1 to switch their management systems to a unified human resource platform that is used across the public service in a move to curbing pilferage, especially in paying workers.

Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakango said that the 47 devolved units have less than two weeks to move to the Unified Human Resource UHR Information System for the public service.

The counties are currently using a mix of manual and Integrated Payroll Personnel Database IPPD, which have been a convenient platform for fraud given that manual systems are prone to abuse.

The move to the UHR system is part of the commitments that the National Treasury made to the International Monetary Fund last year in a bid to tame graft in the payments of workers at national and county levels.

The County Assemblies must migrate to the Unified Human Resource HR Information System for the public service by 1 October 2022, in line with the guidelines by the Head of the Public Service, according to the guidelines by the Head of the Public Service, said Ms Nyakango.

Ms Nyakango said that no of the counties had shifted to the unified system by the end of June.

The payments of staff salaries and other benefits in the counties continue to grow every year due to the system gaps, crowding out funds for basic services like health and construction of roads, water and sewerage lines.

The push for counties to adopt a common system that brings together all public entities comes amid increasing cases of manual payments worth billions of shillings.

The CoB report shows that counties paid salaries worth over 15.63 billion for the financial year ending June, with Ms Nyakango singling out the payments for possible fraud.

The lack of personal numbers for dozens of staff was cited by a majority of counties involved in the payments, sparking fears of the existence of ghost workers on their payrolls.

The new system will provide reliable information on public service numbers, wages and allowances, helping to prevent double payment of workers at the two levels of government.

Treasury made a commitment last year that all national and county government workers will be kept on the unified system as part of reforms to improve transparency.

Ms Nyakango said that her office will not approve requisitions from county entities that will not have complied by October 1.

Two payrolls have left gaps for some workers to get double pay at both counties and national governments due to transparency weaknesses.

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission said last year that a unified system will help track national and county government entities that pay salaries and other benefits outside the prescribed caps.