Admin
By Emmanuel Garjiek
The Kenyan Cabinet has approved far-reaching reforms to the government payroll system following a special audit that uncovered widespread errors, governance gaps, and cybersecurity weaknesses, raising concerns relevant across the East African region.
The decision was reached during a Cabinet meeting chaired by President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi, after an audit of the 2024/2025 financial year revealed serious operational failures within the Government Human Resource Information System–Kenya (HRIS-K), a centralised platform used to manage payroll and human resource data across public institutions.
According to the Cabinet dispatch, the audit identified millions of payroll discrepancies, including inaccurate identity records, tax compliance issues, and mismatched bank account details. These anomalies were cited as a major reason nearly 300 state corporations have failed to fully migrate to the HRIS-K platform.
Of particular concern was the discovery that more than 720 system editors altered over 4.7 million payroll records without proper audit trails, with some public employees reportedly editing their own payroll data. The system was also found to lack basic cybersecurity safeguards, leaving sensitive payroll information vulnerable due to weak disaster recovery mechanisms and expired ICT licences.
In response, the Cabinet directed that the HRIS-K system undergo mandatory security certification by March 11 and ordered the deployment of forensic analytics to support disciplinary and legal action. The government also resolved that statutory deductions, including taxes and levies, be applied automatically at source across all ministries, agencies, and state corporations.
To strengthen oversight, the Cabinet approved the establishment of dedicated Payroll Audit Units (PAUs) and fast-tracked ICT upgrades aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability, and protection of public funds. Principal Secretaries, accounting officers, and heads of state agencies have been tasked with overseeing implementation and will be held personally accountable for any irregularities.
The reforms build on the Public Service Transformation Strategy (2024–2029), which proposes assigning all civil servants Unified Payroll Numbers linked to civil registration and tax systems to eliminate manual payroll processes.
The Kenyan government says the measures are intended to restore integrity in public payroll management, a challenge that continues to affect several East African countries grappling with public sector wage inefficiencies and governance risks.
