After President Uhuru Kenyatta's 2018 directive that government procurement officers and accountants should undergo lifestyle audits, many frustrated that they are yet to resume work one year later.
The Standard reported that the civil servants have been lying idle in their homes but still receive their salaries on time.
“We have never been told our fate even after appearing before the panels auditing our lifestyles but our salary is sent on time,” an officer who is among those awaiting their verdict told reporters.
When contacted, State House Spokesperson Kanze Dena stated that Treasury had the final word on the fate of the government officials.
“Most of the officers affected are employees of Treasury where the principal secretary has their schemes of service. I will prefer you talk to the ministry to get accurate information since the report was sent there,” Dena responded.
Treasury PS Kamau Thugge, on the other hand, told journalists that the “Office of the President and the Public Service Commission (PSC) are best placed to answer that."
PSC Chairman Stephen Kirogo explained that the exercise had been completed and most of the workers would get their letters to return to work.
“Most of them were returned to work except those with investigation cases that are ongoing. For those who have not gotten any communication, they will get it soon since the accounting officers have been given instructions,” Kirogo stated.
Speaking about the employees' salaries, he clarified that they were still being paid without working because the officials had not been suspended but rather, they were only asked to step aside so that they would not interfere with the process.
"As part of the raft of measures we intend to implement to tackle corruption, as an initial step, all heads of procurement and accounts in government ministries, departments, agencies and parastatals will undergo fresh vetting, including polygraph testing, to determine their integrity and suitability.
Those who shall fail the vetting will stand suspended. I expect this exercise to be concluded before the start of the new financial year (FY 2018/2019)," announced President Kenyatta.
