Auditor general Nancy Gathungu photo

According to new reports that expose the misappropriation of funds intended for kids from low-income families, the Auditor-General has disclosed that at least Sh1.2 billion for bursaries might have been lost in large numbers of counties and constituencies. 

 

These funds were intended for students who come from families with low incomes.
 

 

In the most recent round of audits, some red flags included schools saying they hadn't really earned the money that was supposed to be sent to them, amounts that were supposed to be given out but didn't match up with the number of successful applicants, some students getting more than one bursary, people who didn't do well in school getting bursaries, and unclear award procedures.
 

The amount of Sh1.2 billion is enough to pay for the secondary education of 22,794 students who go to national or private schools outside of their county.
 

The disappointing results were released just as schools began their first term, and students who were struggling to make ends meet were rushing to fill out applications for assistance.
 

In the fiscal year 2020/21, audit reports on bursary kits in sixteen counties raised questions about the expenditure of 423 million shillings, raising concerns about suspected instances of theft and unlawful usage. The governors are in charge of establishing the kitty.
 

Other audit results for the National Government-Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) for about 50 constituencies in 2019/20 suggest that up to 797 million shillings may have been stolen or given to students who did not deserve the money.
Patrons of these funds include members of parliament. 

 

Membesrs of parliament kenya

This is despite the fact that many intelligent students coming from low-income homes are forced to drop out of school because their families cannot afford the needed fees.
 

Due to the personal nature of the audits and the fact that they are a year behind schedule, it is impossible to know how much money was wasted, but the audits do show that the bursary fund, which was supposed to help smart but poor students, has become corrupt.
 

Ms. Gathungu also looked into cases where the same organization gave the same student more than one award, where bursaries were given to students at private schools, where more bursaries were given than there were successful candidates, and where the institutions broke the law when deciding who should get the awards.
 

The strangest things happened in Vihiga, Narok West, Kinangop, and Msambweni.
In the constituency of Msambweni, the Auditor-General disclosed that, despite the fact that the constituency had distributed bursaries throughout the year, amounting to a total of Sh29,027,154, some of the recipients had not applied for the monies. 

 

"An examination of the data found that 44 recipients were granted bursaries, although their names were not on the list of applicants who were given bursary application forms," Ms. Gathungu said in her statement.

 

"Bursary application forms were sent to applicants who were on the list."
 

She said that in the district of Narok West, "there were strange differences in how bursaries were given to students in the same school and in private elementary and secondary schools."
 

According to the report, "given the circumstances, it is not possible to confirm that the bursaries of Sh21,940,863 for the year ended June 30, 2020 were awarded to needy beneficiaries as stipulated in the National Government Constituency Development Fund Act." This is stated in the report. Therefore, it is not possible to confirm that the bursaries of Sh21,940,863 for the year

Post a Comment

What is your say on this

أحدث أقدم