The ghost workers saga is far from over after the figure climbed to 8,236 up from 5,499 in just two months.
The workers were to be paid a total of Sh15.4 billion between March 1 and April 24. This was apart from the Sh54 billion that was being paid to ghost workers identified earlier. The total figure now hits Sh69.4 billion.
The minister of State in the President’s Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance), Ms Angela Kairuki, told Parliament yesterday that at least 2,737 ghost workers have been exposed during the period.
She revealed that following the ejection of the ‘new list’ of ghost workers from the government payroll, a total of Sh15.4 billion was saved. The phantom workers were identified in both local and central government.
Ms Kairuki was winding up tabling of the President’s Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance) budget estimates for 2016/2017.
According to her, at least 1,614 ghost workers were exposed within the central government and 6,622 were identified from local government authorities.
“The search for ghost workers continues, and so far we are doing very well, no single stone will be left unturned,” she stressed.
Earlier on, President John Magufuli said more than 5,000 ghost workers had been identified in the ongoing countrywide crackdown.
He said over 4,000 ghost workers were identified in local government authorities while the remaining were found on the central government’s payroll.
According to the Head of State, the government wage bill currently stands at Sh583 billion per month.
He said an estimated Sh54 billion of the wage bill was apparently being paid to phantom workers.
On April 10, this year, President Magufuli revoked the appointment of Shinyanga regional commissioner Anne Kilango Malecela for filing falsified information about ghost workers in her region.
President Magufuli sent packing the RC after she said her region had no ghost worker while a separate team sent by State House found 45 nonexisting workers. The President also sent packing Shinyanga regional administrative secretary. Two weeks later the number of phantom workers identified in the region climbed to 226.
Yesterday, Ms Kairuki said so far at least 56 public service officials have been suspended over their alleged involvement in the ghost workers scandal. “The government is very serious on this matter, we are not going to stop until all ghost workers and their accomplices are exposed,” said Ms Kairuki.
She said those who would be found guilty after prosecution would be required to return all the money that was paid to them.
“Legal measures will be taken against all those who would be found to have had a hand in the existence of ghost workers,” said the minister, adding, “We have a good system of detecting ghost workers and there are trained staff to do that job. We will make sure all fake names are exposed.”
She also revealed that the government has already trained some more 1,500 staff in the electronic management of salary payment systems ready to replace inept civil servants.
On the issue of slashing salaries of some senior officials, Ms Kairuki said the government was in final preparations in implementing the move.
Last month, the Head of State promised to slash the salaries of senior civil servants, a move that would see some officials having their incomes lost by almost two-thirds. President Magufuli said that no executive in public institution and corporation should receive a salary exceeding Sh15 million starting next financial year.
He was addressing the nation from Chato’s Mazaina grounds in Geita Region. The President said it was a shame for a poor country like Tanzania to have people in public institutions pocketing up to Sh40 million while those in junior positions received a mere Sh300, 000 per month.
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