Appointed members of the National parliament and Council of States taking oath at Freedom Hall in Juba. August 2, 2021. Credit| George Tandele/Eye Radio

Lawmakers at the National Parliament have recommended the use of an electronic payment system to eliminate ghost names in all government payrolls.

Ghost names refer to a corruption scheme of having non-existing persons drawing salaries on government payrolls.

The issue is said to have affected civil servants, and organized forces – resulting in unnecessary expenditures and hindering the efficient delivery of public services.

But during the second reading of the budget on Wednesday, the lawmakers called for a crackdown on the ghost names as an austerity measure to prevent wastage and improve service delivery.

“The Committee believed that there are a lot of ghosts named both in the army, the organized forces, and even in the civil servants, that’s why the payroll cleansing is proposed, and it will be commenced immediately,” Bichock said.

The recommendation was presented by the Specialized Committee of Finance and Economic Planning during the second reading of the fiscal year budget for 2023-2024.

The Committee Chairperson, Changkouth Bichiock says the process will eradicate corruption and promote financial responsibility within the government.

Bichiock said the committee recommended the use of an electronic system of payment.

“They also need the amount to be allocated so that at least this work is done because it will generate more money now when the ghost names are done and maybe the electronic system will work well.”

“Everybody should go and get its money from the bank. So, that all the ghost’s names will be avoided and will have more money to be added to our citizens.”

Bichock disclosed the recommendation after the members of parliament unanimously agreed to increase the salaries of government employees.