Principals of various national schools are set to appear before MPs to respond to audit queries relating to the misappropriation of funds as highlighted in various reports of the Auditor General Nancy Gathungu.

 MPs who sit in the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education chaired by Bumula MP Jack Wamboka said they had agreed to start meeting principals of national schools before inviting principals from extra county and county schools.

Speaking when the committee met Gathungu, Wamboka said that the Committee was ready for the rollout of the programme and requested that the Auditor avail them of audit reports of all National Secondary schools to be part of the pilot program.

 Among the schools that have so far been audited by Gathungu and are likely to appear before the committee include Maranda High School, Nyamira Girls High School, Moi Girls High School, Sigor Girls High School, Chania Girls High School, St Francis (Mang’u) High school, Friends Boys High School – Misikhu, Rigoma girls Secondary School, Our Lady of Mercy -Rangenyo Girls Secondary School and St Mathias Busia High schools

Audit reports

 Wamboka also told Gathungu to initiate a tracking mechanism of all audit reports by counter-signing every document requested and submitted by both parties for accountability to prevent unscrupulous officers from escaping accountability.

Said Wamboka: “We want to pioneer the audit with national schools. We have agreed we start them before we go to the other institutions. Madam Auditor, please be assured that we will look at their books.”

 The committee’s sentiments came after Gathungu disclosed that they have completed auditing over 450 schools out of the 9000 that they are required to audit.

She said that the office is ready to ensure that the audit process is completed and forwarded to Parliament for onward consideration.  The schools so far audited range from the national, extra county, and county to sub-county schools.  Previously, the Auditor would only assess state departments in the ministry of education.

 She said: “The OAG has cultivated mutual working relations with the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education by providing accurate, insightful and timely audit reports to the Committee, as well as recommendations whose implementation we request the Committee to follow up.”

Financial irregularities

 The audit comes after Gathungu exposed widespread financial misconduct, and substantial financial irregularities, including unauthorized fee hikes and questionable expenditures, unsupported and unaccounted-for capitations and grants advanced to various schools for the construction of various development projects within the facilities.

 The audits for various years including 2021, 2022 and part of 2023, also raised concerns over the decision of the schools to transfer money to the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KSSHA) which is a welfare organisation that draws its membership from School Principals only and it is not defined in Government funding.

 The sentiments of the committee on the day it met various principles of technical institutions including Moi Teachers’ College, Baringo National Polytechnic, Narok West Technical Training Institute (TTI),  Naivasha Technical and Vocational College(TVC), Turbo TVC and Kaiboi National Polytechnic to respond to audit queries for various financial years.

 During the session, the members took issue with how some of the institutions have engaged in financial irregularities, misappropriations of funds and irregular procurement.

 To this end, the MPs threatened to issue sanctions to the Principals, heads of accountants and Human resources managers by not only recommending they be investigated by various investigative agencies but also passing a resolution recommending that they are not fit to hold office.

 With regards to Narok West TTI, the principal David Maru had a hard time explaining how the institution spent Sh 688,140 incurred on domestic travel and subsistence allowances, but was not supported by documentary evidence showing the purpose of the journey, evidence of travel and actual work done.

 Maru was also hard-pressed to explain how board members were paid Sh 316,000 as sitting allowances contrary to the law promoting the committee to direct that they be surcharged.

Further, he was also taken to task to explain why they did not comply with the licensing and registration of trainers following the payment of Sh460,020 to trainers who were not licensed and registered by the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Board, irregular procurement of consumables of Sh 1,362,758 procured using the low-value procurement method exceeding the prescribed maximum threshold for this form of procurement- resulting to a breach of law.