Public servants wake up to grim Christmas after technical payment hitch

Tens of thousands of public servants are waking up to a grim Christmas after a technical hitch with the Integrated Financial Management Information System (Ifmis) delayed salaries.

All county workers and thousands of teachers across the country have yet to receive their December pay following the breakdown of the much-hyped government financial management system. Ifmis is used in processing all financial transactions at the national and county levels.

On Saturday, Council of Governors Chairman Peter Munya told the Nation: “National government staff have been paid but those in counties are spending Christmas without money. We are helpless”.

There are 230,000 civil servants, the bulk employed at the county level, with 290,000 teachers on the government payroll.

A disappointed Kennedy Adamba, a teacher at Kaloleni Primary School, Trans Nzoia, said he cancelled his Christmas plans.

“I had promised to take my family to the Coast for the festive period but this will not happen. I don’t have the cash. I understand we cannot get our salaries because Ifmis has failed,” he told the Nation.

“Schools are opening soon and I am yet to pay fees for my children too,” he said.

Nancy Nekesa, another teacher at Malava Primary School in Kakamega County could not hold back tears after learning that she would have a broke Christmas.

'NOW UNABLE'

“There is no holiday for me and my family. I had planned to visit my parents but I am now unable to do so,” she said.

“January is just around the corner and I have no idea where I am going to get school fees for my two children. I hope the system is restored,” she added.

In an interview, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich said the hitches had been brought about by an effort to integrate Ifmis with the Kenya Revenue Authority’s i-Tax system and the Central Bank of Kenya’s internet banking network. He, however, said Ifmis was back in operation.

“The system has not been down as alleged. It has been working but processing the information slower than before over the last one week or so,” he said.

“Treasury has already taken steps to stabilise the system as the integration process is finalised. The system is now working since Thursday evening.”

Teachers Service Commission spokesperson Kamotho Kihumba also said operations had resumed and “banks have started releasing money to teachers”.

Thousands of teachers had, however, not received any money by Saturday. December pay is traditionally paid before Christmas and, with an extra national holiday slated for Tuesday, many complained about facing a bleak holiday.

FOR HELP

Janet Chelangat of Tinet Secondary School in Nakuru County was forced to turn to friends for help.

“Some of us are the breadwinners in our families. The situation has forced me to borrow soft loans from my friends,” she told the Nation.

On December 20, TSC issued an internal memo alerting teachers of the anticipated salary delays and calling for patience.

“Ifmis has since December 14, to date been very slow and sometimes goes out completely making the ongoing payment processing incomplete,” read the memo addressed to directors and authored by TSC’s acting director accounts Grace Ngure. “In this regard, I request you to bear with us as the problem is being sorted out,” she added.

County operation had also been affected. Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya who is the chairman of the Council of Governors Finance, Planning and Economic Affairs committee said on Friday that the breakdown of Ifmis had negatively affected operations.

Mr Oparanya said the hitch had affected payment of salaries and payments to suppliers.

“On behalf of the CoG as the chairman of the Finance, Planning and Economic Affairs, I regret to bring to the attention of the county government suppliers, staff and creditors the malfunction of the Ifmis used in processing payments across the counties,” he said.

WOULD DELAY

Kisii Governor James Ongwae informed staff at the county their December salaries would delay.

“Our county has not yet received its budgetary allocations due to the Ifmis hitch, which has adversely affected our operations. I have not yet earned my salary,” he told the Nation as he presided over the Governor’s Christmas Tree Fund on Thursday.

On his part, Mr Munya accused the National Treasury of a “sinister move to orchestrate a county workers strike” by failing to pay them.

Teacher’s union officials in Kisii challenged the government to pay them manually.

Kuppet Kisii branch chairman Osoro Okondo and Gucha Knut executive secretary Lucy Machuki asked MPs to exert pressure on the government.

Mr Solomon Machinji, a teacher at Kakamega Township Primary School said the going was tough for him since he had expected to get his salary by Thursday.

“I have ended up borrowing money from friends to spend on basic needs but all the big plans we had for Christmas are over,” he said.

A PARTY

He said his son had asked him for some money to go for a party but he did not know what to tell him.

“I had Sh200 in my pocket and offered him Sh100 but he declined. He was disappointed and could not understand the predicament we are going through,” he said.

His colleague from Nyayo Tea Zone Primary School, Nicholas Muga was equally gloomy over the delayed salaries.

“It is so disheartening to watch people shopping for Christmas when one does not have any money to spend on the family,” said Mr Muga.

But Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS) Secretary-General Tom Odege said that the system had not broken down. He said the government was simply broke.

“It is extremely unfair for the entire public service to go to a festive season, and even worse into a New Year, with no money in their accounts,’ Mr Odege said.

Kenya National Union of Teachers chief Wilson Sossion demanded that the salaries be released.

“Teachers do not care about stories of Ifmis. We just want our salaries,” Mr Sossion said.

Report by Brian Ngugi, Benson Amadala, Patrick Langat, Aggrey Omboki, Dennis Lubanga, Kennedy Kimanthi and Ouma Wanzala.