National Biometric Audit Targets Payroll Fraud Across South Sudan

(JUBA) – South Sudan’s Ministry of Public Service will on Tuesday begin a nationwide headcount and biometric registration of all government civil servants, in an effort to confirm the real size of the national workforce and address payroll fraud. Officials say the exercise is expected to run for two years and is being carried out with support from the World Bank.

The programme will start in Juba before moving to the states, administrative areas, foreign missions and organised forces. The ministry says the project is designed to verify and update personnel records, which have long been affected by gaps in data and weak human resource systems.

Filista Bayo, Undersecretary of Public Service and Human Resources Development, said the biometric process will help improve efficiency across the public sector. She said one of the main goals is to remove ghost workers and ensure that only legitimate staff appear on the government payroll.

She said ghost workers will not appear in the system once the registration process is completed. She also said that the civil service is currently too large and needs to be managed better, with many employees who have already reached retirement age still occupying positions. According to her, the combination of fraudulent recruitment and outdated personnel records has made the sector unsustainable.

Bayo added that without biometric verification and a proper headcount, the civil service will remain large and difficult to manage. She said the ministry expects the system to help restore order in staffing, improve planning and support better delivery of public services.

The ministry says the headcount and registration process will strengthen accountability and create a clear record of all government employees, which is expected to reduce waste and support fiscal planning in the years ahead.

Juba Launches National Headcount to Remove Ghost Workers