Kenya Prisons officers are questioning repeated delays in the payment of their monthly salaries, with some now calling on Commissioner General of Prisons Patrick Aranduh to explain what is happening within the salary administration section and why officers continue experiencing payroll problems despite repeated emphasis on discipline, work ethics and professionalism.
The concerns come at a particularly sensitive time for the service. The government has been implementing a phased salary review for prison officers following recommendations of the Maraga Taskforce, with President William Ruto announcing that the third phase took effect on July 1, 2026. The government has said the reforms are intended to improve the welfare and morale of correctional officers.
But according to a complaint received by Nyakundi Report, the problem officers are facing is not simply about the level of their salaries, but whether those salaries will reach them on time and whether the systems responsible for processing their pay are working properly.
Kindly with your platform and raising awareness, kindly can it reach the Commissioner General of Prisons Mr Aranduh. Can he clarify for us why every month along the year he insists of work ethics and everything, yet every end month we have to face salary delays from the same people they do auditing for.”
The officers claim that salary delays have become a recurring problem and are questioning why the issue appears to persist within the same department responsible for handling their payroll.
They want the Commissioner General to explain whether the delays are caused by internal payroll errors, verification exercises, auditing, administrative failures or another problem that has not been communicated to officers.
The complaint also refers to previous concerns surrounding the salary section, including an audit that officers say was carried out after intel that some prison officers had colluded with payroll officials to receive erroneous allowances.
The complainant is now asking what became of that investigation and whether the findings resulted in changes to the payroll system.
The concerns are significant because the government has recently put considerable emphasis on improving the welfare of prison officers. In February, the government said the first two phases of the salary review had raised entry-level remuneration for prison constables by more than 36 percent and the maximum point on the salary scale by about 24 percent, with the third phase scheduled for July 2026.
Kenya Prisons officers have also previously raised concerns over delays in implementing salary adjustments. In August 2025, the State Department for Correctional Services said the Salaries and Remuneration Commission was addressing the pending second phase of the salary review, including arrears for July and August.
The issue has remained sensitive this year. In September 2026, NTV reported that prison wardens had launched a nationwide go-slow after receiving salaries without an expected increment, amid wider complaints over welfare and working conditions.
Against that background, the latest complaint raises a separate question about the reliability of the payroll system itself. Officers want to know why salary administration problems continue to arise when their salaries are provided for under the State Department for Correctional Services budget. The 2026/27 estimates allocate more than KSh41.6 billion to the State Department for Correctional Services for salaries and other expenses covering the department, Kenya Prisons Service and Probation Services.
The officers have also raised concerns over MyMobi, a digital lending platform operated by MFS Technologies Limited, formerly Mobile Financial Solutions. This is where the complaint takes a financial turn, with officers questioning the relationship between salary deductions, payroll administration and loans available to civil servants.
MyMobi currently markets emergency loans specifically to Kenyan civil servants, offering amounts of up to KSh60,000, with repayment made in three instalments deducted from the borrower’s payslip. Its website also provides loan statements and clearance letters for borrowers.
The officers' complaint states that those involved in maintaining the prison payroll system are also connected to MyMobi and claims that loan deductions are sometimes stopped, creating an opportunity for officers to take loans through the platform. The complainant further states that officers may lose a substantial portion of the amount borrowed through the arrangement.
The corporate information supplied alongside the complaint identifies Fred Michuki and Peter Kihanya as executive directors associated with MFS Technologies, while Mike Njonge is listed as Head of Engineering, Ephantus Thuku as Head of Products, David Muthoka as Head of Infrastructure and Security, Hildah Gaciuki as Human Resource and Administration Manager and Salome Kinoti as Sector Sales Manager.
Good Morning Mr Cyprian..
Kindly with your platform and raising awareness. kindly can it reach the commissioner general of prisons mr Aranduh....can he clarify for us why theevery month along the year he insists of work ethics and everything...yet every end month we have to face salary delays from the same people they do auditing for ...just a few months ago...they did auditing because some officers had colluded with salary section to get erroneous allowances .. Then around march or was it April..that prison heist that became a scandal on the front page news of even junior officers and even High Ranking officers colluded with same salary section to get dubious salaries....was that not also investigated....
This is the same salary section that has over the years caused officers alot of pain..we hear those who maintain our payroll system also happen to own a micro finance by the name my mobi...they stop officers loan deductions just for you to take their loan and in that very deal to they take half of the loan you get given...
Kindly our request to our CGP Mr Aranduh, news of such extortions and salary delays because of that salary section is not good for officers morale. It should be looked into Police even have more uniformed officers on their payroll more than prisons but at no such a day that an internal mistake has made them delay salaries for this long...so we are wondering what's different with our salary section