- KUCCPS is mandated by law to coordinate the placement of government-sponsored students to universities and colleges.
- Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has demanded that 15 private universities refund Sh219 million irregularly disbursed to them by the exchequer.
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The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service has denied involvement in the alleged irregular disbursement of Sh883 million as capitation for private university students who had already graduated.
In a statement on Thursday, KUCCPS chief executive officer Dr Mercy Wahome termed inaccurate an article by a local paper saying the Placement Service has no legal mandate to disburse funds for university students.
“The KUCCPS mandate starts and ends with matters concerning placement of students to universities and colleges. KUCCPS does not disburse funds to universities and colleges,” Dr Wahome said.
KUCCPS is mandated by law to coordinate the placement of government-sponsored students to universities and colleges.
In a special report, Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has demanded that 15 private universities refund Sh219 million irregularly disbursed to them by the exchequer.
She says 15 private universities received Sh201 million for 4,521 government-sponsored students but the students had not been placed by KUCCPS.
She also wants 14 universities to refund Sh17,774,388 spent on students whose names were duplicated in the payment schedules.
“The audit reveals that funds amounting to Sh201, 638,928 were disbursed to four thousand five hundred twenty-one (4,521) who are non-bona fide GSS students in the private universities as they were not placed by KUCCPS,” the report states.
Gathungu says in her report that Sh883 million is under investigation for irregular disbursement to 32 private universities including monies paid for students for periods exceeding the duration of academic programmes.
“Funds amounting to Sh412, 729, 628 had been disbursed on account of the students for the excessive period,” Gathungu said.
Dr Wahome said functions of the Placement Service are stipulated as stipulated under Section 56 of the Universities Act No 42 of 2012 and do not touch on the disbursement of funds to institutions of higher learning.
She said other than placing Form 4 students in universities and colleges, KUCCPS is mandated by law to advise the government on matters relating to university and college student placement.
It also collects and retains data relating to university and college placement, develops career guidance programmes for the benefit of students and disseminates information on available programmes, their costs and the areas of study prioritised by the government.
“The report in the publication is therefore inaccurate, unfair and a misrepresentation of both the Auditor General’s report and the KUCCPS mandate,” she said.