County governors could soon be required to account for repeated salary delays as senators move to establish why thousands of devolved government workers are going unpaid, with a fresh inquiry set to examine the arrears, budgetary hurdles and failures in payroll management across affected counties.
The Senate wants county administrations to explain why employees have continued missing their monthly pay despite billions of shillings being allocated to devolved units. Lawmakers are also seeking clear timelines for settling outstanding wages and measures that will prevent workers from facing similar difficulties in the future.
The push follows a petition by Tharaka Nithi Senator Mwenda Gataya, who has called for an investigation into the persistent delays affecting employees in several counties.
“I rise on a matter of national concern regarding the incessant delays in paying employees across several counties in the country,” Gataya said.
The Senate's Labour and Social Welfare Committee will investigate the circumstances surrounding the unpaid salaries and establish the scale of the problem in each affected county.
Among the issues the committee intends to examine are the number of employees affected, how long they have remained unpaid and the total value of salary arrears accumulated by county governments.
Senators also want to know whether delays in preparing, submitting or approving county budgets have contributed to the problem, including whether specific compliance requirements have prevented counties from accessing funds.
“What is the status of budget submissions and approvals in the affected counties, clarifying any compliance requirement that has hindered access to funds,” Gataya said.
The committee is expected to identify urgent measures for clearing the arrears and establish deadlines by which county governments should settle the outstanding payments.
It will also examine lasting solutions to ensure that budget implementation does not continue to disrupt the payment of workers, with emphasis on improving financial planning and ensuring salaries are released on time.
“The committee should address the long-term strategies to prevent further delays, including steps to support seamless budget execution and timely payment of county employees,” he said.
The inquiry comes amid mounting complaints from workers' unions, which have accused county administrations of allowing employees to suffer because of administrative failures and disputes over budget processes.
The extent of the problem became clear in August, when more than 35 counties encountered difficulties paying salaries, leaving thousands of workers without their July earnings.
Nairobi, Turkana, Baringo, Siaya and Trans Nzoia were among the counties affected, exposing the difficulties facing employees who rely on regular salaries to meet their daily expenses.
In Nairobi, Governor Johnson Sakaja's administration attributed the delay to challenges involving the approval and uploading of the county budget.
Acting County Secretary Godfrey Akumali said the county was treating the matter as a priority and apologised for the difficulties the delay had caused employees.
“The management sincerely regrets the inconveniences and challenges that this situation may cause and wishes to assure all staff that the matter is receiving the highest priority,” Akumali said.
Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, however, urged county governments to explain their individual circumstances rather than collectively attributing the delays to funding problems.
Nassir said each administration should account for its own situation and clarify the steps being taken to resolve salary payment challenges.
“For my county, my finance people are on it. It is important for every individual county to speak for itself,” he said.
The Union of Kenya Civil Servants has meanwhile condemned the repeated salary delays, warning that county employees are being forced to bear the consequences of administrative and financial management problems.
The union said delayed payments were placing workers under unnecessary pressure, particularly as they struggled to provide for their families and meet regular financial commitments.
“The continued delay in payment of Nairobi County employees is unacceptable and must not be normalised. Workers have families to support, rent and school fees to pay, and financial obligations that do not wait for budget processes,” the union said.
It has called for the introduction of a permanent payroll management framework that would shield employees' salaries from political disputes and administrative shortcomings.
The union also cautioned against relying on temporary borrowing arrangements to resolve recurring salary problems, arguing that such measures would not address weaknesses in the payroll system.
“A bank facility may bridge a temporary cash-flow gap, but it cannot fix a broken payroll system,” the union said.
The Senate's planned investigation will put county financial management under renewed scrutiny as lawmakers seek explanations for the continued salary delays and a clear plan for paying affected workers.
For county employees, the key issue remains when the outstanding wages will be paid and whether the proposed interventions will prevent future disruptions to their monthly earnings.