The County Government of Siaya, is set to conduct a comprehensive skills audit for all staff, spearheaded by the Department of Governance, Administration, and ICT in collaboration with the County Public Service Board and the Human Resource Management Department.
Facilitated by the Kenya Devolution Support Program II (KDSP II) and the World Bank, this mandatory exercise targets all permanent, pensionable, and contract employees, including those on annual leave or under disciplinary processes, who are required to report to designated venues and complete the provided questionnaires and templates. The audit will run from March 20, 2025, to April 3, 2025, with schedules established across all sub-counties. Staff on other leave categories will receive further communication.
As the third such exercise since the inception of devolution, this initiative aligns with Siaya County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP 2023-2027) while integrating frameworks like the Nyalore Manifesto. It aims to ensure employees possess the requisite skills to achieve development goals and reforms.
Key objectives include developing a County Skills Database categorizing skills into management/leadership, technical, and support areas—with an ideal technical-to-support staff ratio of 70:30—identifying skills gaps through competency surplus and deficit analysis, and producing a Training Needs Assessment Report to streamline training and continuous professional development.
The audit will also review the staff establishment and organogram, ensure proper staff placement, enhance productivity and accountability, eliminate ghost workers, reduce unnecessary wage bills, and address role duplication. Consultants will be engaged as needed to strengthen the process.
The audit will assess employees’ skills, knowledge, and competencies, with Acting Human Resource Director Madam Susan Raba emphasizing the need for a balanced technical-to-support staff ratio. This evaluation will also support the creation of a master skills plan and staff database, ensuring the acquisition of technical expertise for effective service delivery at all levels. By analyzing surpluses and deficits, the exercise will bolster succession management and rapid-results initiatives while enhancing departmental efficiency to align with the County Government’s policies and objectives.
Madam Raba underscored the audit’s critical role in eliminating ghost workers, optimizing staff placement, and advancing skilled employees within the county structure. Targeted departments include Governance, Administration and ICT, Human Resource Management, the County Public Service Board, Municipalities, and others, with all required to submit February staff returns per the provided template. This robust effort reflects the Nyalore administration’s commitment to workforce optimization, accountability, and sustainable development.