By Habil Onyango
Over 18,000 County employees in 25 Counties across the country, in the 2023-2024 Financial Year, received less than one-third of their basic salaries.
The excessive deductions were attributed to the over-commitment of salaries by the employees on various loans they had incurred and the introduction of various levies by the National Government.
However, Section 19(3) of the Employment Act 2007 requires that an employee’s salary should not be deducted beyond two-thirds of the basic salary.
According to the 2023/2024 Financial Year Auditor General’s report, a total of 18,180 County employees received a pay cut of more than two-thirds of their total monthly payments.
In Homa Bay, which recorded the highest number, a total of 3,971 County staff received less than one-third of their basic salaries between July 2023 and June 2024.
According to the report, 847 County staff were affected in the month of July 2023, 625 in December 2023, 831 in March 2024, and another 847 in the month of June 2024.
“Analysis of the payroll of permanent staff revealed that 831 Homa Bay County staff received less than one-third of their basic salaries in July 2023,” reads the report.
“Another 625 (December 2023), 831 (March 2024), and 831 employees were affected in the month of June 2024,” reads Nancy Gathungu’s report.
Nandi County recorded 3,719, while Nakuru County recorded 1,180 employees facing excessive salary deductions.
In Mombasa, 237 employees were affected during the year under review, while 68 in Kilifi also experienced the same effect on their basic salaries.
According to the report, 331 County staff of Tana River faced an excessive pay cut, which is a violation of the one-third rule of basic salary.
“Examination of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database revealed that 331 employees of the County Government of Tana River had their salaries deducted in excess of two-thirds of their basic salaries, in breach of Section 19(3) of the Employment Act 2007, which prohibits such excessive deductions,” reads the AG’s report.
Garissa recorded 166 cases, while Wajir, Meru, and Tharaka Nithi Counties had 158, 1,707, and 50 employees facing excessive deductions.
Embu County had 1,366 employees’ salaries being excessively deducted, while Kitui County recorded 1,909 staff who were affected during the Financial Year under review.
“In addition, Section C(13) of the Public Service Commission 2016 stipulates that Public Officers shall not over-commit their salaries beyond two-thirds of their basic salaries,” reads the report.
In Machakos, 20 employees faced the deductions. However, according to the report, the management explained that it was due to the introduction of the housing levy and new National Health Insurance Fund tax rates.
Gathungu, however, noted that this was contrary to Section C.1(3) of the Human Resource Policies and Procedures Manual for the Public Service, 2016, which states that Public Officers shall not over-commit two-thirds of their basic salaries and that Heads of Human Resource Units should ensure compliance.
“This was contrary to Section 19(3), which stipulates that any deduction made by an employer from the wages or salaries of an employee at any one time shall not exceed two-thirds of such wages or salaries,” reads the report in part.
In Makueni, 187 staff were affected, while another 214 employees from Nyeri County also faced the axe.
“The excessive deductions resulted from management allowing the staff to incur loans and other liabilities whose repayment reductions put the officers at the risk of pecuniary embarrassment,” noted the Auditor General.
“Further, it was noted that some staff members in Makueni had total deductions that were more than their gross pay, thus having a negative net pay contrary to Section 19(3) of the Employment Act 2007 and Section C.1(3) of the Public Service Commission, Human Resource Policy,” reads the report.
Other Counties include Kirinyaga (249 members of staff), Murang’a (571), Kiambu (1,575), Turkana (830), Baringo (79), while in Narok, 224 employees were affected.
In Nakuru County, a total of 1,180 employees were affected, where it was observed that 15 officers continuously had deductions in their salaries in excess of two-thirds of their basic salaries for the entire financial period.
Kericho County recorded 257, Bomet (236), Kakamega (1,055), Bungoma (886), Busia (1,032), while Siaya had 245 employees affected.
In Kisumu County, 449 members of staff faced the deductions, which, according to the report, by June 2024, the net salaries for the affected officers totalling Sh3,831,569 were less than one-third of their respective basic pay.
Migori County had 463 members of staff facing the deductions, Nyamira (48), while 28 others from Kisii County were also affected.
Furthermore, it was noted that 904 employees at Kisii County Government earned a monthly pay of less than Sh14,025.00, which was the minimum monthly wage set in the Regulations of Wages (General Amendment) Order of May 2022 for employees in the County Government of Kisii.
