The government has disclosed that it will suspend recruitment in the public sector for a period of one year.
While presenting the 2024/25 budget in Parliament on Thursday, June 14, Treasury CS Prof. Njuguna Ndung’u said that the move was meant to improve the efficiency of public spending and attain a balanced budget.
“Turning to expenditures, we should ensure that our scarce resources are used in the most efficient and effective way. Expenditure control measures include suspension of all new recruitment for the next one year,” Prof. Njuguna stated.
He further added that an audit will be done to cleanse all public payrolls, with a view of eliminating ghost workers as well as enforcing the payment of salary scales as approved or recommended by the SRC.
The Treasury CS, in his budget report, also outlined curtailing spending on foreign travel, rationalizing all training expenses across the government, and restricting all training to within government institutions.
Prof. Njuguna additionally disclosed a move to suspend the purchase of furniture in government offices for a period of one year.
“In order to move towards a balanced budget and further improve efficiency in public spending, the following bold actions and reforms have been outlined in the FY 2024/25: curtailing spending on the following expenditure items: foreign travels; rationalization of all training expenses across Government and restricting all training to within Government institutions; rationalizing all allocations for purchase of motor vehicles and suspending purchase of furniture for a period of one year and suspending all refurbishments and partitioning of Government offices,” the CS said.
Meanwhile, Prof. Njuguna noted that in the new budget, the government would review insurance schemes (Edu Afya, Indigents, Public Service, Police, and Prisons, Commissions, and Independent Offices) under the Universal Health Coverage and align them to the Social Health Insurance Fund.
