Minister of Public Service Dak Duop Bichiok|February 21, 2024. (Photo: Obaj Okuj).

The Minister of Public Service and Human Resource Development said the government has disbanded the salary payment committees after some governors harassed, arrested and confiscated money from them in 2023.

Dak Duop Bichiok said the misappropriation of funds by governors has proven a significant challenge in the disbursement of salaries to civil servants through the committees.

Mr. Duop stated that the ministry has opted not to resend the committees to the states due to the corrupt practices.

“The committee came back so we saw that there are challenges that need to be handled. In some states, the governors removed money from salaries, they took them by force,” he said.

Minister Duop spoke to the media on the sidelines of the workshop on implementing the biometrically integrated payroll management system reforms on Wednesday.

“They arrested the committees. Then we agreed that there’s no need for the committees to go back again so that they will go and face those difficulties.”

He did not disclose the names of the implicated state governors and the exact amount of misappropriated funds.

Minister Duop said the challenges have prompted his ministry and that of finance to fast-track the introduction of financial ID cards for civil servants to receive their salaries.

“The only thing will do is that we will have a financial ID card you will have a financial ID card so that to help the committees to do their work properly.”

The implementation of these cards aims to streamline the work of oversight committees, providing them with a tool to carry out their responsibilities more effectively and without encountering impediments.

He reiterated that the government is actively working to pay the salaries of civil servants for September and October.

It is not clear if the salaries for August have been disbursed.