Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has issued a one-month ultimatum to county governments to integrate their payrolls into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database (IPPD), saying the move is essential to flushing out ghost workers and cutting down on ballooning wage bills.
Addressing the launch of the 2026/27 financial year and Medium-Term Budget process at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on Monday, Mbadi dismissed continued resistance from counties as unacceptable.
“Counties are still dragging their feet. The idea that we should wait for assemblies or executives to ‘be ready’ is misplaced. When exactly will they be ready?” he asked.
The CS noted that counties are spending an average of 55 percent of their revenues on salaries far above legal limits largely due to bloated payrolls and duplication of roles. Many devolved units, he added, continue to run manual, casual, and online payrolls side by side, creating loopholes for ghost workers and inflating wage bills.
“This has created a workforce that is not only unsustainable but also illegal. Some people on county payrolls should not be there at all,” he warned.
Mbadi stressed that the directive is mandatory and non-negotiable, adding that the government will no longer tolerate inefficiencies that drain public resources. He instructed Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo to oversee the rollout, saying integration into the IPPD is key to restoring accountability, curbing wastage, and reducing budget deficits.
“This is not a request. It is an instruction, and every county must comply within the month,” Mbadi declared.
