Aasai

The Kenyan government is in the final stages of developing a mobile application that will monitor the attendance, activities, and whereabouts of civil servants across all public offices in the country. Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku announced the move on Wednesday during an official function in Samburu County, terming the initiative a decisive step towards eliminating absenteeism, boosting accountability, and restoring discipline within the civil service.

The mobile application, which will be compulsory for all government employees, will track check-in and check-out times at workstations, confirm an officer’s presence or absence, and provide details such as whether an employee is on duty, on leave, attending official training, or working remotely. According to CS Ruku, the tool will provide real-time data to public service administrators and supervisors, enabling timely and informed human resource decisions within the civil service.

“Very soon, every civil servant in Kenya will be required to download a government-developed mobile app that will monitor their daily work activities. This app will indicate where you are — whether at your workstation, on leave, attending a workshop, or absent altogether. It will record the time you report to work and the time you leave,” Ruku said. He stressed that the goal is not surveillance for its own sake, but to ensure that government officers uphold professionalism and deliver on their mandates to the Kenyan public.

The development comes against the backdrop of increasing concerns over poor work ethic among government employees. Earlier this week, CS Ruku conducted a surprise inspection of government offices at the Central Regional Headquarters in Nyeri. His unannounced visit revealed glaring discrepancies in employee presence, with some departments having only a handful of staff at their desks during working hours. Ruku described the situation as unacceptable and indicative of a widespread accountability gap within public offices.

He further issued a stern warning to officers who routinely abscond from duty or clock in late without valid reasons. According to Ruku, civil servants found to be absent without official authorization will be classified as ghost workers — a term used to describe individuals who draw salaries from the government without rendering any service. “Such individuals will be considered to have defrauded the government. We will treat absenteeism as an economic crime punishable by fines, dismissal, and possible imprisonment,” the CS said, noting that the government will no longer tolerate the misuse of public funds through ghost employment.

The CS also emphasized that the new app will be integrated with internal human resource management systems across ministries and state departments. This will enable automatic flagging of anomalies such as habitual lateness, unauthorized absences, and overlapping leave claims. Supervisors will be required to act promptly on alerts generated by the system, including initiating disciplinary procedures where necessary.

In addition to the mobile app, Ruku announced that his ministry will scale up random inspections of government offices across all counties. He said these visits will not be announced in advance and will focus on assessing both staff presence and the quality of services being provided to citizens. The inspections will complement the digital monitoring tool and help uncover loopholes that digital systems may not immediately detect.

The mobile monitoring initiative is part of the Kenya Kwanza administration’s broader agenda to reform the public sector. It aligns with President William Ruto’s vision of creating a lean, efficient, and citizen-centered public service. CS Ruku reiterated that the reforms are not intended to punish public officers but to ensure that every government employee earns their pay through visible and meaningful contribution to national development.

He also urged civil servants to embrace the reforms and view them as an opportunity to rebuild public trust in government institutions. “We are not here to harass anyone,” he said. “We are here to ensure that the government works — that every Kenyan who walks into a public office receives timely and quality service. It is about restoring dignity to our public sector.”

The app is expected to be piloted in selected ministries before a full national rollout in the coming months. Once implemented, it will mark a significant shift in how the Kenyan government manages its workforce and monitors public service delivery.