Kenyan Government launches biometric registration to eliminate ghost workers

As he led by example, Kenyatta said that the exercise which is will target civil servants at both National and county levels of Government will also ensure Kenyans get the services they require.

“With the biometric registration of all public servants, I hope that within a short time we will be able to put to rest the issue of ghost workers in the public service and ensure efficient management of public resources,” President Kenyatta said. He assured that the exercise, that will verify staff on Government payroll and their qualification, is not meant to victimize but to ensure that all public servants are accounted for.

The Capacity Assessment and Rationalization of the Public Service (CARPS) Programme is a joint initiative of the National and the County governments.

All Public servants working in Ministries, Departments and Agencies at the National and County governments will be required to physically present themselves at the identification centers with the following documents: Original ID card; duly completed biometric data form; original academic and professional certificates; letter of 1^st appointment; letter to the current substantive post; current pay slip; and birth certificate.

Additional data such as photographs and fingerprints will also be added to details already in the database. At the end of the exercise, persons who will not have been authenticated and their whereabouts not accounted for in terms of authorized leave or absence due to travel and other reasons will be deemed to be “ghost workers” and will be eliminated from the public service payroll.

The Cabinet Secretary for Ministry of Devolution and Planning, Ms. Anne Waiguru said, “This exercise will contribute significantly to the rationalization of the Public Service by determining the actual numbers of public servants and will also be used to cleanse the payroll at both levels of Government- hence bring a stop to the issue of ‘Ghost Workers’.”