Nyamira County government workers are expecting the results of the headcount which was conducted recently.
The headcount exercise was carried out last week with workers required to avail themselves to their respective departments for the exercise that was to root out ghost workers.
Governor Amos Nyaribo had vowed to root out workers whose records of employment were not clear, hence cleaning the payroll to cut down the high wage bill.
Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo has also tasked the county security to commence investigations over suspected pilferage of the county’s Sh126 million education support fund meant for needy learners through ghost beneficiaries.
Nyaribo told Nyamira County Commissioner Amos Mariba through the county security team he chairs to institute investigations on institutions and individuals involved in handling the county and national government charity funds meant for needy students.
Nyaribo said this during the launch of this year’s county bursary fund where he said there was an urgent need to change the legislation enabling expenditure of the fund to put in place more tight measures aimed at ensuring there was 100 per cent efficacy in the administration of the monies.
He said in an impromptu audit of the beneficiaries in schools in a single ward, a team he recently led in the exercise discovered 369 learners could not be accounted for and who were listed as beneficiaries.
In a single school, 100 beneficiaries were discovered to be absentee learners who were not known.
The governor said more investigations will being done in a bid to unearth the irregularities that were being perpetrated by people he said were not considerate with the plight of needy students who needed to benefit from the cash.
The governor expressed an urgent need to review the policy on the administration of the County Education Support Fund saying the laws should provide watertight measures against misuse of the cash.
“It is time that we looked into reviewing the laws guiding the administration of the fund to ensure all the needy and only they benefit from the fund and as well minimize possible misappropriation of the fund monies,” Nyaribo said.
The governor made the glaring revelation two months after he promised to streamline operations in the county.
Dealing with the county’s abnormal wage bill that stands at 49 per cent against the 30 per cent allowed by the Controller of Budget as well as flashing out ghost workers and eliminating corruption were his main commitments during the inauguration.
The event was also graced by County Commissioner Amos Mariba and some members of the County Assembly.
Mariba on his part assured Nyaribo that investigations will be done to bring into account anyone who could be liable for the alleged corruption.
Mariba, on the other hand, warned school heads who may be found sending learners home for fees saying the government was determined to fund schools and there should be no student being sent home for fees.
“The government provides enough support through various agencies like National Government Constituency Funds, President’s Bursary program and the National Affirmative Action Fund to needy students. Let no school head send any learner home because the Government is committed to doing its responsibility of supporting schools and learners,” Mariba said.
By Darlington Mose
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