JAMILA'S MEMO: How to make Ksh.11 million in two years

First, get a job at the Ministry of Education, especially in a department that is charged with early learning and basic education. Then establish a ghost secondary school, preferably somewhere in rural Kenya. Think of the appropriate number of students you need, of course depending on how much money you want to make. 

And then proceed to allocate capitation funds meant for the Free Day Secondary School Programme. How is it done? By manipulating funds so that, cash is deposited in a bank account purportedly for the non-existent school.

Are we together so far? Good. Now add the school name in all the payment records and then always insert your personal bank account number against the ghost school so that you can process the payment.

If you successfully do this, sit back relax and watch the money rolling in. The ghost school will be receiving funds through your personal bank account, and your dear friend will be the sole beneficiary of the stolen money.

Sounds like a movie, right? Well, folks, this is a true story involving one Momanyi Charo, an employee of the Ministry of Education who, over a period of two years, used his position in the ministry to divert funds meant for a non-existent school to his personal account. By the time his ruse was discovered, Momanyi had stolen Ksh.11,131,305.53. He had already spent some money, purchasing land and vehicles. 

Momanyi was a clerical officer whose duty was to enter data from forms submitted by sub-county directors. Between August 2017 and September 2018 the period within which the money was stolen, Momanyi prepared schedules of all schools that were to benefit from the free day secondary education funds.

I find it interesting that for close to two years no one bothered to check whether this school or any others that were receiving funds existed or whether the money being sent to the schools was being used appropriately or whether these funds were making any differences at all in terms of delivery quality education to its students.

Momanyi has been arrested and prosecuted in a court of law but Mundeku Secondary School remains the only one of its kind out there. Could there be other ghost schools receiving funds meant to help schools? Authorities need to be more vigilant and just check to see how things are on the ground.

Huenda kwa ground mambo ni tofauti. And that is my memo.