By Patrick N. Mensah, Maryland County
Amidst efforts to scrutinize government payroll, the General Auditing Commission (GAC) has launched a massive verification headcount for civil servants in Maryland County.
The exercise was hugely attended by local government workers from all sectors recently including those from the Ministries of Agriculture, Education, Internal Affairs, Justice, Fisheries, Security, and Health, amongst others.
Speaking to reporters during the start of the exercise at Harper Administration building in Harper City, Maryland county, an employee of the Ministry of Health, Jocab Weah, noted that the GAC process is free, fair, and transparent.
“Some of us have been working and receiving high school graduate salary, now we have obtained degree but for the past two years, we are still receiving the same money and I am hoping that this verification and headcount will capture my name this time around”, Mr. Weah said.
Robert Boulay Kaba, head of the General Auditing Commission team in Southeast Liberia revealed that the process is expected to last for one month.
Mr. Kaba explained the move is intended to validate the legitimacy of old and new employees of the Government whose names have been on the payroll.
“We have come to know exactly who are those that the government is spending its money on if they are still alive and working; this process is not meant to remove people from government payroll but to make the formation straight and clear to our people”, he added.
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He continued that the nationwide headcount and verification of civil servants would help the government to have a clear data-based system that will save the state from many losses.
He stressed that the exercise is also meant to verify some key documents of employees such as National Identification Registry, Citizen’s ID, Working ID card, Letter of Employment, academic credentials, and social security ID card, among others.
Mr. Kaba said the headcount started in Harper and Pleebo from April 4th to 10th and will continue in Barrobo district from 11th to 13th of April, 2022 to be followed by Karluway, Maryland County Electoral District#3 from 14th to 16th April, 2022 respectively.
The GAC Team Lead, however, encouraged government employees to see the ongoing exercise as an opportunity to solve or correct problems they may have faced with their employment status.
Meanwhile, several civil servants have lauded the government for the exercise, which they said will help solve employment-related problems.
They expressed optimism that at the end of the exercise, issue of salary structure.
