K78 million from ghost workers

KETRA KALUNGA writes@SunZambianAbout K78 million has been saved by the government through the Payroll Verification exercise conducted in four provinces with the aim of blocking ghost workers that are drawing salaries on the civil service payroll, deputy secretary to the cabinet-E government, Doctor Martin Mtonga has disclosed.The ongoing Payroll Verification exercise which before being suspended due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 was conducted in four provinces among them Northern, Eastern and North-Western provinces.And Dr. Mtonga acknowledged that ghost workers exist in the country as evidenced by a good number of workers that have been taken out of the payroll by the Account General’s office and have never come backThe deputy secretary to cabinet disclosed on ZNBC Sunday Interview that the rural districts of the Copperbelt province have more ghost workers followed by Northern Province.“Copperbelt had more discrepancies, the rural districts had more discrepancies followed by Northern provinces, we had more problems in the ministry of general education and health, most of the workers were not in their rural districts,” he said.He said the exercise recorded more figures bias towards the deceased and retired civil servants who were still drawing salaries instead of being on a separate payroll and resigned public workers who were supposed to be removed from the payroll immediately.Dr. Mtonga said the exercise which was suspended due to COVID-19 has resumed the payroll headcount was currently being conducted in Luapula province with about 14 271 employees on the payroll.He is optimistic that once the payroll headcount is concluded the country would have in place a perfect payroll system free of ghost workers. The Sun