The Auditor General faults CDF team over 675 ghost learners

The Auditor General has flagged the loss of millions of shillings allegedly given to ghost learners as bursaries by the Narok West National Government-Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF).

The 2021-2022 report compiled by the Office of the Auditor General reveals a case where 675 needy learners allegedly received the millions as bursaries from the constituency’s NG-CDF committee. However, the Auditor General says that records of the 675 learners could not be traced and there was no evidence that they received the millions.

According to the report, the constituency, whose MP is Gabriel Tongoyo, spent Sh35 million on the needy learners in both secondary and primary schools.

The Nancy Gathungu-led office further red-flagged bursary payments of Sh9million that were irregularly issued to 675 beneficiaries without admission or registration numbers. In some cases, beneficiaries shared similar admission numbers in their respective schools or institutions, or the lists of the disbursements did not have the names of the recipients.

“In the circumstances, the propriety, accuracy and completeness of bursary payments of Sh35 million respect of bursary to secondary schools and bursary to tertiary institutions could not be confirmed,” says the report.

The report has also established that Sh25 million spent on the construction of two secondary schools is questionable and the value for money from the projects could not be confirmed. The office also questioned abandoned projects, worth Sh5 million, at Esoit Secondary school where two classrooms were to be constructed alongside two teachers housing units of one bedroom and four door toilets each.

The projects have pending works including labelling, finishes on the walls and toilets for People Living with Disabilities (PWD).
The NG-CDF has also not accounted for emergency funds amounting to Sh796,800 which was allegedly channelled to Lekanka Primary school for re-equipping of a borehole.

No structure

“The review of the expenditure returns revealed that the project was initially funded by the European Union and implemented by the National Drought Management Authority. Physical verification in the month of April 2023 confirmed no evidence of work done by Fund and the project was not labelled,” says the report.

The report also fingered the committee over some Sh4 million allegedly paid out as compensation to fourteen employees.
“The Constituency Committee did not have a clear organisational structure backed by job description for each employee,” the report says.