Senator Mumma raises concerns on ghost workers in public service

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 
𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟐𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓.

Rising pursuant to Standing Order 53(1), Nominated Senator Catherine Mumma sought a statement from the Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare regarding ghost workers in the public service.

She has requested the committee to state whether any audits or investigations by the Public Service Commission and County Public Service Boards to eliminate ghost workers from the National and County Government payrolls, if so, provide the full findings.

The Labour committee should explain the financial impact of ghost workers on National and County Government

expenditures, disaggregated by the National Government and each respective County Government, since the operationalization of devolved governance in 2013.

Senator Mumma also wants the committee to address the short, medium and long-term measures that the National Government and respective County Governments have taken to identify and eliminate ghost workers from their payroll systems, outlining the strategies implemented to recover any misappropriated funds.

Any disciplinary or legal actions taken against officials at the National and County Government levels who have been found culpable of facilitating or failing to prevent the existence of ghost workers should also be addressed in her request.

In a separate statement, Senator Mumma has questioned the availability, accessibility and affordability of rehabilitation services across counties to address substance and alcohol abuse.

In the Statement, the Health Committee should address the following:

The status of deliberations by the Inter-Governmental Sectoral Committee on Health comprising the Council of Governors Health Committee and the Ministry of Health on facilitating access to rehabilitation services for Kenyan youth struggling with substance and alcohol abuse and the strategies being adopted at the national and county levels to address this crisis;

The number of registered rehabilitation centres per county, distinguishing between public and private facilities, their bed capacities and whether they have sufficient personnel, including medical professionals, caregivers and

counsellors, to cater to the rising demand for rehabilitation services;

The frequency of inspections conducted by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NACADA) and other oversight bodies to ensure that rehabilitation centres comply with operational standards and quality care requirements;

The measures in place to ensure that rehabilitation services remain affordable and accessible, particularly for vulnerable groups, minors, and low-income individuals;

The preventive strategies established to curb alcohol and drug abuse and whether there is a coordinated approach among key stakeholders, including government agencies, private sector actors, and community organization; and 

The key challenges facing the establishment and operation of rehabilitation centres and the interventions in place to address these challenges.