Ms Gathungu said the university did not explain why it engaged the workers in acting capacities for more than half a year in the period ended June 2020.
Section 34 of the Public Service Commission Act 2017 states that government officers cannot serve in an acting capacity for not more than six months.
Staff costs for officers in acting capacities are low because they do not attract pension, unlike permanent workers.
Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu has faulted the Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology (JKUAT) for employing 13 staff on the acting capacity for more than six months.
Ms Gathungu said the university did not explain why it engaged the workers in acting capacities for more than half a year in the period ended June 2020.
Section 34 of the Public Service Commission Act 2017 states that government officers cannot serve in an acting capacity for not more than six months. The shortest one can serve in the position is 30 days.
“Thirteen officers had been appointed in an acting capacity and paid acting allowances for more than six months. No explanation has been provided by the management on why the posts have not been filled or the officers confirmed to the posts,” said Ms Gathungu in the report for the year to June 2020.
Staff costs for officers in acting capacities are low because they do not attract pension, unlike permanent workers.
Officers appointed in acting capacities do not enjoy the benefits of the positions they are acting in, making them appealing to employers seeking to reduce costs. JKUAT, like other public universities, has taken a hit from reduced government funding and a dip in the number of students enrolling for self-sponsored courses.
The Treasury has in recent years been cutting allocation to universities in the face of perennial revenue shortfalls and debt payment obligations that have increased pressure on the Exchequer.
The institution recently shut its campus in the wake of a cash crunch and growing losses that left it in negative working capital of Sh2.856 billion in the year to June 2020.
The report did not show if the acting officers served in the senior or mid-level management nor disclose how much JKUAT spent on the staff.
Staff salaries grew to Sh2.291 billion in the period under review from Sh2.288 billion— the only expenditure on employees that recorded an increase in the period.
JKUAT’s move to engage staff on acting capacity came amid the varsity’s mounting financial woes that have seen it default on statutory dues and payments to suppliers.
The varsity had defaulted on statutory deductions like Pay as You Earn (PAYE), NSSF and NHIF amounting to Sh4 billion in the year.
