Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Geoffrey Ruku, has launched a no-nonsense campaign against habitually tardy and missing civil servants. While visiting county offices in Nyeri, he warned that staff who are always late or absent will now be treated as “ghost workers” and face possible dismissal .
Speaking during the visit, he said: “Everybody … who doesn’t report to work at the required time and those who report and disappear, we will be treating them as ghost workers.” He decried the practice of turning up late, lingering for a few hours and then disappearing yet still drawing full salaries. “You probably come in at 9 and leave at 11, you are just a ghost worker,” he added.
New attendance rule
The CS said his ministry will introduce day-to-day registers, complete with duty schedules, at national, regional, county and sub-county offices. Supervisors will track attendance and performance. A fresh baseline survey will also measure how staff feel about the system.
Ruku said President William Ruto supports the reforms, aimed at reducing public-sector losses that amount to billions of shillings each year.
Roll Out of Mandatory App for Tracking Civil Servants
The Kenyan government is developing a mobile application to monitor civil servants’ attendance, movements, and leave days. The app, which will be mandatory for all public employees, aims to curb absenteeism and eliminate ghost workers from the payroll. Officials who fail to log their presence or report as required risk being flagged for non-compliance and investigated as potential ghost workers. This move is part of broader reforms to enhance accountability and efficiency in the public service.
Duty and discipline
Ruku told civil servants they are trustees of public service and must act with “discipline, professionalism and integrity”. He added: “We have qualified young people crying for jobs.”
That brief praise went to those showing up on time, including staff at Huduma Centres and the Teachers Service Commission in Nyeri. Interns were also singled out for punctuality.
Balanced view
Labour advocates caution that mere attendance rules won’t fix deeper problems. Poor pay, weak leadership and morale issues often drive absenteeism. They argue that sanctions should go hand in hand with improved working conditions and clear career paths.
Civil service unions, though supportive of accountability, stress due process. They want clarity on how absences will be verified and insist staff must have a chance to explain before facing penalties.
On the ground
At the Nyeri offices, early signs suggest the new rules are being taken seriously. “Registers are already in use,” said one supervisor, speaking off the record. “The difference in punctuality is visible.”
What lies ahead
For the policy to stick, civil servants need reliable attendance systems and fair enforcement. Supervisors must balance discipline with support. The real test will be whether the reforms can curb absenteeism without demoralizing the workforce.
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