Ruto orders payroll fraud probe amid a ballooning wage bill

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President William Ruto when he chaired a cabinet meeting at State House, Nairobi. [PCS]

President William Ruto has ordered a probe aimed at eliminating entrenched payroll fraud, tightening oversight of the public wage bill and protecting taxpayers' money.

Ruto, who chaired a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, said the decisions followed a government payroll audit that exposed widespread weaknesses in payroll management across public institutions.

"A sample review of 12 out of the 53 State Departments uncovered suspected payroll irregularities worth Sh6.2 billion, including unauthorised alterations to payroll records, irregular payments, weak controls over statutory deductions and fragmented payroll systems," the memo from the Cabinet read in part.