Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku now says that the government is done compiling the names of all ghost workers, with the list expected to be published on Wednesday, September 17.
Ruku, who spoke on Tuesday night during an interview on TV47, said that the process of auditing the government payroll was complete and that the list of rogue workers would be released before the end of today.
The CS added that stern action would be taken against those who would be found to have acted against the law by consistently failing to perform their duties.
"I have the experts who have been doing the payroll audit, and they will be coming to my office to do a presentation. There are issues, and I want to tell you that there are people who will suffer," Ruku said.
"Tomorrow we will know them because you cannot be given an opportunity by the government and fail to serve Kenyans," the CS added.
According to Ruku, preliminary investigations into the payroll system exposed glaring irregularities, including double or triple payment of salaries to some workers.
The CS further noted that public servants who report late to work would also be considered as ghost workers, stating that some employees had developed a tendency to deliberately arrive late to work.
"A ghost worker is anyone who arrives late at work, comes and leaves after 20 minutes or arrives too early. That is also a ghost worker, and that is why I ordered a payroll audit," Ruku stated.
He, however, commended the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the Immigration department, labelling the two agencies as the most compliant and consistent in terms of output.
During the interview, the CS also cautioned members of the public against giving out bribes in exchange for a job, warning that decisive action would be taken against such individuals.
He also gave an update on the development of a digital system to monitor the activities of public servants. According to Ruku, the digital platform would track a worker's performance and attendance and ensure accountability within the public service.
"We are in the process of coming up with a digital platform to ensure that public service output is monitored closely and uphold accountability in government offices," the CS emphasised.
