CS Ruku Targets Ghost Workers
By analyzing patterns in attendance, the system will identify employees who fail to report for work or leave their posts for the better part of the day
All civil servants are going to be paid through a new electronic system. This not only will ensure that an individual is being paid. Photo/ Courtesy
By Juliet Jerotich
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has vowed to curb ghost workers in the government offices. The CS laid a stringent plan that will track the attendance of the public servants and remunerate those working only.
In an interview with K24 TV on Monday, August 4, 2025, Ruku clarified that the government will launch a new monitoring platform in September 2025. The platform will record workers’ activity while at work in an effort to increase accountability.
“We have started a two-month process. By the end of September, we will pilot a platform that monitors the activities of public servants in real-time,” Ruku clarified.
He indicated that ghost workers are not just imaginary workers but even individuals who shirk their responsibilities but keep earning salaries. “There are workers who come to work late, sit at the workstation for an hour or two, disappear, appear briefly in and out, and then leave. This is what we call ghost workers,” Ruku detailed.
The system forms part of a grand scale public service payroll reform initiative. Last week, Ruku stated that the government was to introduce a mandatory mobile-based payroll system for all civil servants. The new app will verify employment and physical presence in offices before paying salaries.
All civil servants are going to be paid through a new electronic system. This not only will ensure that an individual is being paid, but that they are actually in the office where they should be,” Ruku explained.
Thousands of ghost workers had previously been on the government payroll. Their names consisted of the names of those who never worked for the government, thereby causing enormous losses to public funds. Ruku admitted that such loopholes gave corruption and inefficiency space to mushroom.
The ministry is adamant that these loopholes be filled. The new monitoring system will ensure public servants are in and out of work. It will also track their travel within government offices. By analyzing patterns in attendance, the system will identify employees who fail to report for work or leave their posts for the better part of the day.
The pilot period will be used by the government to refine the system before full-scale implementation, Ruku adds. The ultimate target is a correct, clear payroll of actual employees.
“This is an issue of fairness and accountability. The taxpayers must pay for work done. Individuals who evade work will have no space in public service,” Ruku stated.
The crackdown is a major step towards cleansing Kenya’s public service of inefficiency and reviving efficiency in government operations.
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