Mombasa county government will now carry out a human resource audit of all county staff in a move aimed at weeding out ghost workers.
According to the county governor Abdulswamad Nassir, it will be a non-negotiable exercise.
Nassir noted that the county has very hardworking people, yet there are a few pulling them back.
“The issue of whether your biometrics will be integrated to salaries is secondary, primary is that we know you are not a robot”
“We want to make sure that we are paying humans salaries because humans have fingerprints and they have a face, on this one there is no backing off,” said Nassir.
Speaking during the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the county government of Mombasa and Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB)the governor said he will be the first one to get his biometrics and picture taken adding that he cannot allow the sweat of others to be equally enjoyed by those who are not there.
“We must know each other, no one will escape from this because Mombasa people need services and that will only happen if we are able to identify all of you. It is just not a matter of paying salaries yet we don’t know where some of you are,” Nassir said.
The MOU is to cushion the county to pay staff salaries on time in case of disbursements from the national treasury are delayed.
The governor also called out those speaking ill of his administration and that of his predecessor Hassan Joho saying that devolution had its fair share of challenges.
During his campaigns, Nassir promised that he will not poke holes into the previous regime, but rather pick the good and where necessary, work with the staff to rectify any wrong.
“We must appreciate the facts that just like others have retired; I will also one day retire. So let us not be people who just talk for the sake of talking, let us look into issues that will take Mombasa forward”
“In my first 90 days in office, I have already paid three months in full without any areas and delayed statutory deductions,” he said.
The governor also issued orders for the county to pay one month’s salary immediately, adding that he will further negotiate with KCB to allow county government staff to access car and house loans.
KCB CEO Paul Russo lauded the signing of the MOU saying that this was the beginning of a partnership between the bank and the county.
Russo alluded to the fact that KCB was the only bank that agreed to pay county staff salaries between April to August as everybody stopped for fear that they were not going to get paid.
“This MOU opens the opportunity for us to deliver meaningful solutions to your staff, whether it is personal banking, whether it is car loans or land and houses, that governor we will partner with your team to deliver on that,” said Russo.