Kisii Governor Simba Arati faced a tough Sen. Kajwang-led Senate Public Accounts Committee to table the County Human Resource Audit findings report.
The County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) has directed Kisii Governor Simba Arati to take urgent steps and align the county’s Human Resource function to his vision.
The Committee’s chairman Moses Kajwang’ said that there is a serious misalignment between the vision of the governor and those of the directorate of human resources, which he observed has rendered the county dysfunctional in terms of personnel.
Senator Kajwang issued the directive when the governor appeared before the Committee to discuss the Human resource establishment of the county on Monday.
The committee expressed its dismay with Governor Arati’s over payroll manipulation which has left the county government grappling with an annual wage bill, estimated to stand at Sh5.7 billion, which many say is unsustainable.
“There is a disconnect between your vision as the governor and that of the directorate of human resource,” said Senator Kajwang, further directing that the governor must take administrative action against employees who have manipulated the payroll.
Sen. Richard Onyonka raised concern over the same report saying that they were court orders demanding the board to go report back to the office H.E Arati confirmed the PSB is at home as he went ahead to gazette another board action the court stopped saying that his hands are tied.
Hon Onyonka directed the governor through the chair to allow the former PSB to continue to work until the court process is over.
“Orders were given, and all County Assembly issues are stopped! We need the former PSB here the PSB continued to work until the court process is over.” Hon Richard Onyonka Momoima.
Hon Samson Cherargei told Gov. Simba to consider all times an audit query is raised in the senate, to come up with a complete report.
“When an audit query is raised in Senate, you need to come up with a complete report not hearsay. Your response is not authenticated. You can’t present documents of KRA that are not authenticated.” Sen Samson Cherargei quotes.
Gov. Simba exposed the Payroll fraud in Kisii County during the response where the honorable members of the committee pushed Hon. Arati to the corner to explain the payroll fraud, Okiya Omutata asked the Governor to present the whole report before the committee. Hon Simba said his reign is in the process of correcting the mess created by Governor Ongwae-led regime.
Hon Arati in the previous months tabled the report from the HR department exposing the 1200 ghosts where Gov. said that he will deal with the issue in-house he admitted that the person who should carry the burden is the HR Director.
The Committee faulted the governor for failure to take address the human resource malpractices in the county, more than eight months after assuming office.
An audit report by the National Treasury had flagged several human resource irregularities including shared payroll numbers and bank accounts, amended birth dates, and identical identification numbers, among others.
Others are double payments, staff working for both the national government and the county government, and same birth dates.
Rather than address the issues flagged out by the National Treasury audit, the governor went ahead and commissioned his own audit.
Hon Kajwang however told the governor promotions that should be given out fairly as required by law as those who are rightfully due for promotions must be given as there is the law stipulates.
Finally, the committee has given the governor more time to go and prepare for another session with the SPAC after 30 days after he looked unprepared and unaware of the contents of the documents he presented to the committee.
Senator Okiya Omutata told Governor Arati to make good use of the 30 days to come prepared.
“Make good use of the 30 days so that you come back to the committee more prepared than he was today. The star that we thought you would be in Kisii doesn’t seem to be the lighting. Go and work on your shortcomings. This report wasn’t yours, go and be conversant with it” Sen. Okiya Omutata said.
The committee gave the governor one month to go back and address the issues surrounding the findings of the National Treasury.
“After the one-month period, you will have to demonstrate and convince this committee that you had added implementing the issues flagged out by the National Treasury.”
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