Top Ministry of Education officials are on the spot for spending Sh540 million on excess and unnecessary textbooks and learning materials.
A report by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu says some of the materials did not reach the learners.
The report exposes widespread irregularities, mismanagement and possible fraud that could have denied thousands of learners critical learning materials.
It shows a huge variance between books distributed and student enrolment records, some for subjects they are not offering while others were not delivered at all.
Some schools also received learning materials years after they were expected.
The audit was conducted over a four year period running from 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24.
During the period, Ministry of Education disbursed Sh27.8 billion but Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development confirmed receiving Sh28.2 billion.
This leaves unexplained variance of Sh378 million.
“It was established that there was excess textbooks delivered to 394 secondary schools, 94 JSS and 162 primary schools in comparison to the number of learners enrolled in the respective schools,” the report reveals.
“The total value of shortfall of excess textbooks supplied to the schools amounted to Sh90.8 million.”
In some instances, there was a glaring shortfall in textbooks reports that affected 415 secondary schools, 194 JSS and 245 primary schools.
The shortfall amounted to Sh295 million.
In the report, 118 secondary schools, 225 JSS and 26 primary schools received textbooks worth Sh30.3 million for subjects they were not offering.
Gathungu’s also disclosed that some significant number of schools either did not receive the books or received less costing the government Sh41.4 million.
“Comparison of textbooks delivered to schools as indicated in signed delivery notes with numbers indicated in the distribution lists provided by the KICD established that there were publishers, who delivered less textbooks to 183 secondary schools, 232 JSS and 253 primary schools,” the Auditor General said.
According to the findings, the incessant delays affected 26 secondary schools, 29 JSS and 21 primary schools – they had to wait between three and 37 months.
Even in schools where the textbooks were received, the audit revealed that some 110 schools did not maintain records of the learning materials, teachers’ guides and other instructions materials received.
The revelations are the latest in a string of financial improprieties plaguing government-funded education programmes and cast a shadow over President Ruto’s pledge to reform the sector.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
A textbook disbursement programme to schools was meant to enable access of learning materials to all students in public schools. The program has however been rocked by mismanagement that has now become an audit query.
