A new report has red-flagged an excruciating shortage of staff at 18 state agencies at a time when the government is implementing a freeze on hiring new workers.
The report by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu reveals that while some 15 agencies had shortages, three departments were grossly overstaffed.
The agriculture department was overstaffed by 53 positions, 71 at the Tourism department while the Transport department was overstaffed by 35 officers.
However, the shortage is worse at the Forestry department where there are more administrative support staff than officers handling core roles.
The audit review unearthed that the department has a shortage of 75 workers, 87 per cent of its staff establishment.
“It was operating far below its optimal staffing level,” Gathungu said, after it emerged there were 81 admin support staff against the required 45.
The auditor general says management did not explain the nature of the duties the excess staff were assigned to.
“In the circumstances, the value for money on the compensation of employees cost for the excess staff could not be confirmed,” Gathungu said.
Office of Prime Cabinet Secretary, pensions department, various commissions, judiciary, and various state departments including Education, Agriculture, and State Law Office, among others, reported shortages.
The audit revealed that employees at agencies with few staffers on post suffered low morale hand ence “had the potential of compromising quality of services.”
The Judiciary had a deficit of 3,222 staff – being 32 per cent of the authorized establishment of 10,106.
Gathungu revealed that there was a shortage of 721 judges and magistrates – translating to 47 per cent of the required number.
On the flip side, 35 cadres in seven job groups at the judiciary were overstaffed by 730 officers.
“The non-compliance with the staff establishment may affect service delivery,” Gathungu warns, adding that the “regularity of human resources management processes could not be confirmed.”
The audit has cast doubt on the quality of service delivered by the few overworked employees in post.
In as much as there were departments like Higher Education and Research with an excess of 59 officers resulting in wasteful expenditure, the shortages were more prevalent.
“The understaffing may have impacted negatively on service delivery,” Gathungu said.
Musalia Mudavadi’s office, as per the audit, had a shortage of 71 officers after only 106 were in the post out of the set 177.
Further review revealed that five departments were overstaffed, eight were understaffed, and 10 departments did not have any staff.
One department had five staff in post against no authorized establishment, the report reveals.
The Environment department had a shortage of 281 while the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights had only 29 per cent of its staff capacity.
The commission had a deficit of 326 staff as only 135 were on board with Gathungu concluding that it is crippled.
National Land Commission had a shortage of 587 officers while the Judicial Service Commission had had only 68 on board against 121.
The National Police Service Commission had a shortage of 240 across the various staff cadres. It recently advertised to fill some slots.
Gathungu says staff shortages are to blame for challenges in pension processing at the Pensions department.
The department had a shortage of 200 staff at the time of the review for the period to June 30, 2024.
While its authorized establishment was 381 personnel, only 181 were in post.
“The key department continues to suffer personnel shortages despite the public outcry on delays in the processing of pensioners’ payroll,” the auditor said.
She decried that management did not provide a clear plan to correct the shortage, raising concerns the pension delays may not dissipate soon.
The Basic Education department was understaffed by 5,348 officers but various positions were overstaffed by 1,289 officers.
“The overall understaffing and overstaffing in some cadres may have impaired the performance of the state department,” Gathungu said.
Public Health department had only 188 staffers resulting in understaffing of 473 positions.
“The effectiveness of service delivery of the state department with the existing staff deficits couldn’t be confirmed,” the auditor stated.
The Lands department was understaffed by 2,022 officers thus affecting key operations.
Its key technical services departments were also understaffed by 1,586 employees, Gathungu reveals.
At the ICT department there were 80 staff, translating to 41 per cent yet institutions are required to at least fill 70 per cent of established posts.
The Youth Affairs department had a deficit of 788 employees out of the approved 1,413.
Human Resources Policies and Procedures Manual for Public Service, May 2016 requires accounting officers to ensure optimal staffing.
It also emerged that challenges with the concurrence of the National Treasury on the availability of funds slowed hiring.
The Livestock department had a shortage of 896 hence impacting negatively on its ability to meet its target objectives.
The wildlife department should hire 116 staff, 50 technical staff and 66 support service staff.
It however had 30 technical staff, hence a shortfall of 20 officers and 83 staff against the set cap of 66.
“Failure to employ and fill the approved establishment may have negatively affected service delivery to the public,” Gathungu said.
The State Law Office had a shortfall of 431 staff with the auditor saying it affects its capacity to advise state agencies.
“The mandate of advising government ministries, departments, constitutional commission, independent offices and state corporations on legislative and other legal matters may not be achieved,” the auditor general said.
The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) had a shortage of 126 officers, being more than half – 53 per cent, of the required number.
There were 109 officers in post at the time of the audit review and the 27 who were hired during the year didn’t help ease the situation either.
"The number of employees is still significantly below the approved staff cap…should be at least 70 per cent,” Gathungu said.
Witness Protection Agency had a shortfall of 179 staff, mostly psychosocial officers, protection officers, research planning and policy analysis officers, internal audit, IT, and secretaries.
