This archive report was first published on 18 October 2019.
Kenya's Information and Communication Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru has been at the center of a controversy after re-appointing a dead man to a top seat at the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB).
The appointment of the late Robert Kochalle, who died on May 28, 2018, was announced in a gazette notice dated October 16, 2019.
According to the notice, Kochalle was to take up his post and earn a salary from Monday, October 21, 2019, for a period of three years.
The appointment has exposed one of the routes ghost workers use to land on the public service payroll - poor vetting or just lack of it.
Ghost workers are a big headache to both national and county governments as President Uhuru Kenyatta and governors struggle to slash the public wage bill that currently stands at over Ksh700 billion ($7 billion).
Mr Mucheru's gaffe also raises serious questions on the quality of background checks nominees are subjected to before they are appointed to run government departments and agencies.
Following online outrage, KFCB boss Ezekiel Mutua defended the appointment, stating that it was not CS Mucheru's mistake and that the conversation started when KFCB was under the Ministry of Sports & Culture.
However, his explanations have done little to stop angry Kenyans who are demanding answers.
