Bursary billions wasted on academic flops - Auditor

Details have emerged of how the Education Ministry has been paying billions of shillings in bursaries to support students who have not taken their academic work seriously.

A new audit has flagged how the ministry continued to award bursaries under the Elimu Scholarship Fund in total disregard of the learners’ performance.

The scathing audit shows that 4,500 underprivileged learners of the 18,000 sponsored by the government performed below average in the 2022 academic year.

At least 1,349 students (accounting for 15 per cent of those catered to) were from the first lot, while 3,151 (35 per cent) were in respect of the second lot.

The auditor has thus questioned why academic performance is not a condition or incentive for continued funding of the learners from select 30 counties.

There is no condition to peg continued support on the performance of the respective learners.

“Field verification revealed dissatisfaction of teachers with the performance of some scholars, which they attributed to lack of conditional funding – that is the failure to tie continued sponsorship of scholars to performance,” Gathungu said.

As a result, the auditor general concluded that taxpayers did not get value for money in the Sh1.64 billion spent on scholarships by the fund in the year to June 30 last year.

“In the circumstances, the value for money on the expenditure of Sh1,638,196,216 in respect of payments for the Elimu Scholarship Fund may not have been achieved,” Gathungu said.

The report further reveals that parents (and maybe guardians) of the sponsored learners do not follow up on their kin’s academic performance.

“The teachers interviewed pointed out lack of full involvement of parents or guardians in the wellbeing and academic progress of the scholars,” the report said.

The project supports deserving primary school graduates who did not have the means to continue their education.

Education champions, however, disagree with the notion that only bright students deserve bursaries.

Janet Ouko of Tunza Mtoto Coalition told the Star that every child has a right to education, hence a criteria based on performance is discriminatory.

“Posting below average performance is not waste. Not accessing school altogether is the waste of a child's potential that bursaries seek to address,” Ouko said.

The revelations are just but a tip of the iceberg of the rot in the management of the World Bank-funded bursary scheme.

Jogoo House bureaucrats are also on the spot over irregularities in the procurement and construction of classrooms and other facilities.

The audit reveals that there is nothing to show for the classrooms, laboratories and washroom facilities that were reported to have cost Sh4.9 billion.

The State Department engaged 25 contractors to build the facilities in 25 targeted counties at Sh6.3 billion.

But as of June 30 last year and with more than Sh4 billion paid (which is 66 per cent of the contract sum), the percentage of work done was way below expectation.

New details show that many contractors had engaged subcontractors for the works without the approval of the employer, putting the amounts paid at risk of loss.

“In the circumstances, the value for money on the acquisition of non-financial assets totalling to Sh4,812,293,317 may not be achieved,” she said.

Gathungu revealed that some contractors had only recorded progress of nine per cent of work done, worse off, six months after the expected completion date.

The projects were to be completed by October 9, 2022 and December 11, 2022 – depending on the quantity of work.

During the review, it was established that 16 classrooms, 35 laboratories, five water projects and 388 sanitation facilities had not commenced.

“Most of the works were far behind schedule with the lowest ranking contractor recording a progress of nine per cent work done,” the report reads.

Gathungu cast doubt on the quality of the work on the said facilities citing many instances of shoddy work.

The report details that during verification visits in various counties, several stalled projects were spotted. Most of the contractors were not on site for more than a year.

“The verification revealed major defects like cracked walls in most of the projects and shallow pits for the sanitation projects,” Gathungu said.

Similar cases were established in Homa Bay, Elgeyo Marakwet, Marsabit, Isiolo and Garissa.

Contractors in those areas bagged more than 40 per cent of the total contract cost but have only delivered 33 per cent of the work.

Gathungu said most works were far behind schedule, with the lowest-ranking contractor recording 12 per cent progress in works.

Despite getting fees paid, the report further shows, that many beneficiaries - nearly 300, dropped out of school in the year under review (2022).

The cases were attributed to student expulsions, pregnancies, indiscipline, suspensions, dropouts and deaths.

Gathungu raised concerns with some of the reasons given by school administrators saying there was no evidence to back up the claims.

“No evidence was provided of any corrective measures for the first five cases,” she said.

Gathungu has further queried why 219 scholars were left out of the fees and social support stipends paid during the year.

The audit has also rapped schools that charge the bursary beneficiaries additional fees, even as it emerged that past audit queries remain unresolved.

Among the queries was a payment of Sh5 billion to a bank without the approval of the authorities.

The project managers bypassed the National Treasury, the World Bank, and the Education Cabinet Secretary in the change of contract terms with the consultant.

Also yet to be resolved was a question about whether some Sh3 billion disbursed during the year [2021] reached the bona fide students as no lists were provided to confirm the same.

Part of the money, the audit showed, was transferred to other bank accounts but no details were provided to show who the beneficiaries were.