By Metro News Reporter
A stinking rot in Homa Bay County’s payroll system has been laid bare, with court cases exposing how public money was allegedly siphoned through ghost workers, duplicate salaries and employees who continued drawing county pay while working elsewhere.
At the centre of the scandal are 51 people linked to questionable payroll payments between 2015 and 2019, with investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) revealing cases of workers receiving two salaries, collecting pay despite failing to report to work and others appearing on the county payroll while employed by private institutions.
Court records show the cases have resulted in recovery claims running into tens of millions of shillings, with the EACC reporting that it has recovered Sh34.8 million through alternative dispute resolution.
The revelations paint a disturbing picture of weaknesses in the county’s payroll controls, particularly during the transition from the manual payroll system to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database (IPPD).
One of the cases involved Adel Ottomam Walter, a former Homa Bay County deputy director of Health-Preventive and Promotive Services, who was accused of receiving more than Sh10.9 million in county salary while simultaneously working elsewhere.
Walter was employed by the Kenya Medical Training College and also taught at the Great Lakes University of Kisumu before joining Homa Bay County in 2016.
Although the county stopped paying his salary in June 2021, records presented in court showed that he had received Sh10.9 million over the disputed period.
In March 2026, the Anti-Corruption Court ordered Walter to pay the money, with the court describing the continued receipt of public funds despite not working for the county as unlawful and unethical.
Other cases reveal similar loopholes.
The EACC investigated Lilian Achieng Okumu, a nurse who allegedly received two salaries on the same day, while another employee, Ms Odida, was accused of receiving payments from Homa Bay County despite being employed elsewhere.
Court records indicate that Odida received two salaries, with one account receiving Sh23,108 monthly and another receiving Sh23,108 for the same work. By January 2020, the alleged duplicate payments had accumulated to Sh1.247 million.
The anti-graft agency also pursued Ms Ogweno, who allegedly received two salaries while employed by the county.
The cases have exposed the role of payroll officials in the alleged manipulation. EACC investigations established that some employees were added to the manual payroll before the county transitioned to IPPD.
The agency’s investigations and court proceedings have raised questions about how employees could remain on the payroll for years without their absence being detected.
In one case, a payroll officer, Maurice Ochieng Wambo, was accused of adding workers to the manual payroll.
The EACC has pursued recovery of millions of shillings from individuals implicated in the scandal, with seven cases alone seeking recovery of Sh27.668 million.
The court cases have also highlighted the apparent failure of supervisors and departmental heads to detect employees who were either working elsewhere or receiving multiple salaries.
In another case, Dr Otatio, who was employed by a private hospital, allegedly continued receiving a salary from Homa Bay County for years despite not reporting to his county workstation.
The court heard that he was employed by Avenue Hospital in August 2017 but continued drawing a Homa Bay County salary until July 2025, when the EACC ordered him to repay the money.
The cases expose a payroll system that allowed questionable payments to continue for years, raising questions about accountability, supervision and controls over public funds.
As the EACC continues pursuing recoveries, the Homa Bay cases provide a glimpse into how weaknesses in payroll management can turn into a costly drain on taxpayers.
The scandal has also raised questions about whether similar ghost-worker and duplicate-payment schemes could have escaped detection elsewhere in the county payroll system.
