Ministry of Education on the spot over Ksh.903M undisbursed school funds

A special audit by the Auditor General has also uncovered irregularities in the allocation of funds, with some school heads inflating the number of learners to draw extra funds.

The revelation comes amidst concerns over underfunding of public schools, capitation deficits and delays in disbursement of funds crucial for sustaining school operations.

A special audit report on capitation and infrastructure grants in schools, tabled before the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee, has revealed that only Ksh.333.2 billion out of the Ksh.334.1 billion allocated by the National Treasury for school capitation from 2020 to 2024 was disbursed, leaving an accumulated amount of Ksh.903 million undisbursed.

The watchdog committee raised a red flag over some Ksh.3.3 billion alleged to have been distributed to schools with zero enrollment, with some like Maranda High School in Siaya, Ngoto Boys in Makueni and Loreto Limuru alleged to have recorded excess learners under the NEMIS system compared to the findings of the physical audit to draw extra funds.

The report further cast a spotlight on non-operational schools like Mbaarua Primary in Tigania West, Eldera and Tanna Primary Schools in Garbatula that received capitation.

This comes amidst growing concerns over the underfunding of public schools, with the report indicating that the State Department for Basic Education received 20 per cent less than what they had requested as the required capitation budget in the period under review.

PS Julius Bitok explained that the variance is attributed partly to the transition of learners whose monies had already been released to primary schools.

His plea comes even as teachers continue to demand timely disbursement of capitation funds.

PS Bitok was also hard-pressed to explain how books worth Ksh. 30 million ended up being distributed for subjects not offered by schools that received the said books, while other schools decried a shortage of textbooks supplied.

The committee, led by Butere MP Tindi Mwale, tasked PS Bitok and his team to ensure proper utilisation of public funds allocated to schools, even as they push for a budget increment.