Sampled schools whose expenditure raised eyebrows

Friends’ School Kamusinga

Friends Kamusinga misappropriated Sh14,224,450 of the Sh25 million allocated to renovate and rehabilitate the school in the 2010/2011 financial year.

According to the Auditor General, the school management failed to provide supporting evidence such as payment vouchers, works certificates, and invoices were made available for audit confirmation.

The school’s management, however, explained that the documents were destroyed by fire at the Bungoma District Schools Audit Office. There was, however, no evidence to support the fire incident.

Friends School Kamusinga Principal Edwin Namachanja distanced himself from the report indicating massive misappropriation of funds at the institution.

The report by office of Auditor General indicates that the school embezzled Sh14,224,450 of the Sh25 million allocated to renovate and rehabilitate the school in the 2010/2011 financial year.

According to the damning report the school management failed to provide supporting evidence such as payment vouchers, works certificates, and invoices for proper audit confirmation.

Namachanja told The Standard on Sunday, that the school’s management was not involved in the scandal but instead initiated projects rationally arguing that there was evidence to that effect of either completed or on-going projects.

 

 Nakuru Girls High School

Nakuru Girls’ High school is said to have gravely varied the award of a contract that saw the taxpayer lose Sh3,522,890 of the Sh25 million allocated to the institution during 2010/2011 financial year.

The contract for the construction of classrooms was awarded to a construction company at a price of Sh11,381,108.60 on 14 June, 2011.

However, the contract was later varied by about 31 per cent to Sh14,903,999 contrary to Section 31(c) of the Public Procurement and Disposal Regulations, 2006.

Nevertheless, the contractor was paid before finishing the work. By the time of the audit, the contractor had been paid the total amount despite failing to complete floor furnishing and the verandah.

The administration of Nakuru Girls High School has said the board was responsible for award of the contract that saw the government lose Sh3.5 million in a contract that was gravely varied.

According to Deputy Principal Judith Gathua the school’s board of governors was the rightful organisation to answer question regarding how the institution spend Sh25million allocated during the 2010/2011 financial year.

“The board is currently meeting and I would advise you to get comments from the CEO or the chairman of the board,” she said on Thursday when we sought comments on why the contract of Sh11.3million allocated to a company on June 14th 2011 was later varied by about 30 per cent to Sh15million-contrary to section 31(c) of the Public Procurement and Disposal Regulations, 2006. We could not reach the board chairman nor his accounting officer after they declined to respond to our queries.

 

      Kenyatta High, Mwatate

Kenyatta High School, Mwatate was also allocated Sh25 million during in the 2010/2011 financial year as grants for infrastructure improvement. The School management used the funds during the year for rehabilitation of 16 classrooms, 4 laboratories, 1 administration block, seven 7 dormitories and 1 dining hall kitchen complex at a contract sum of Sh11,849,600.

The reports says the contract had been inflated by Sh602,039 to12,451,639 to include additional invoices for painting of four 4 laboratories against the procedures of use of public funds.

The institution could also not support with payment receipts the purchase of 100 desks at a cost of Sh387, 000. Principal Severin Tolle said he was not the head of the institution when Sh25 million was allocated. Fromer Principla Julius Ngondo will be better placed to respond over the AGs report. Ngondo could bot be reached.

 

Malindi Boys High school

Malindi Boys’ High school received Sh25 million during 2010/2011 for the rehabilitation of various infrastructure in the school. The school management identified 10 projects estimated to cost Sh27,883,596. The institution however paid the contractors and suppliers contracts Sh25,876 with about 50 per cent of the work incomplete.

The Sh30 million construction of center of excellence at Malindi High School which was expected to be completed two years ago is yet to be finalised. The project which was funded under the Economic stimulus project was expected to be completed in 2011 but has since stalled this is despite the fact that more than 25 milion shillings has already been spent.

The funds were meant to rehabilitate 15 classrooms,construct a basketball pitch,ablution block,twin laboratory,computer laboratory and carry other minor repair works at the institution. A spot check by The Standard on Sunday revealed that only the rehabilitation of the classroom and construction abolution block had been completed.

The report indicated that the school management identified ten (10) projects estimated to cost Sh27,883,596, however, the institution paid the contractors and suppliers Sh25,876 with about 50 percent of the work incomplete.

Contacted for comment the School principle Emmanuel S Kitsao who has been at the school for many years declined to comment saying he had not received the Auditor General report.

Kitsao also said he was not authorised to speak to the press and referred the journalist to the District Education Officer.

The DEO Mary Kamura in said she could not give details of the status of the project as the school administration were the right people to disclose its status.

 

     Kenya High School

The Kenya High School received in 2010/2011, a total of Sh48million under the Economic Stimulus Programme for the construction of three classrooms,expansion of dormitory, renovation of kitchen. However, the school ended up diverting the funds to construction of staff houses contrary to the ministry approved projects.

Efforts to seek comment from Kenya High School Principal over diversion of funds yielded no fruit as they declined to comment.

       

Nairobi School

During 2010/2011 financial year, the School received Sh25 million for rehabilitation of school facilities. To facilitate the project, the School Management tendered for construction of a toilet block and associated electrical and civil works, and awarded the contract to the fourth lowest bidder at a cost of Sh531,190, instead of the lowest bidder who quoted Sh359,773.

No explanation was given why the contract was not awarded to the lowest evaluated bidder which would have resulted to a saving of Sh171,417. Nairobi School Principal Onesmus Mulinge distanced himself from the alleged flawed tendering saying he was a clean man. Mulinge asserted that the school tendering committee which deals with process had awarded the tender for the construction of toilets through labour contracts which was a given to the lowest bidder. He defended himself saying he had not been posted to the school when the government released the economic stimulus money.

 

Lenana High School

Sh48million disbursed to Lenana High School during 2010/2011to contract classrooms and a laboratory had not been utilised by the time of the audit inspection in September, 2012, sixteen months after the funds had been received denying the students opportunity to benefit from the facilities. Lenana High School Chief Principal Peter Warui defended the economic stimulus package expenditure. He said the money was used to set up a three-storey dorminitory to accommodate more students.

The money was expected to construct classrooms and a laboratory but was diverted to build a dormitory as opposed to the ministry-approved plan.  

“Our immediate plan was to expand the boarding facilities to accommodate more students. We have already completed the dormitory project ready to be used by the students,” Warui said.

 

     Starehe Girls School

Starehe Girls School with a student population of 320 received a total of Sh2.08 million under the Free Day Secondary Schools Programme during the year.

Out of this amount, Sh15,600 and Sh68,600 were paid as school fees to Moi and Kenyatta Universities respectively, to support two former students currently studying at the two universities.

However the payment of Sh84,200 is contrary to the provisions under Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE) programme, which requires that the funds be used to fund Day econdary School programmes. This is because Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) funds post-secondary education by way of loans and bursaries to deserving students. Efforts to seek comment from Starehe Girls High School Principal over diversion of funds yielded no fruits as they declined to comment.

 

    Huruma Girls School

The Auditor-General found out that the Huruma Girls secondary school management engaged the services of private valuer, M/s Africa Real Estate (K) Limited, to value its assets at a cost of Sh174,274,000 while such work could have been done by the Ministry of Public Works. The ministry is mandated to value public assets. The school management also paid the ministry Sh15,000 as transport cost and public works staff allowance while the expenditure could have been met by the ministry.

An audit of seven schools across the country revealed that expenditure totaling Sh17,848,293 in respect of tuition and operation funds disbursed by the ministry was not supported by relevant records such as cash books, bank statements, payment vouchers, requisitions, and stores records, among others. In the absence of these crucial payment documents, such expenses could not be substantiated. Chief Principal Margaret Owenje said funds were released to the school when she had not been posted there.

 

Jamhuri High School

The report also put on the spot schools charging illegal school levies without receipts.

For instance it was found that in the year 2009/2010 Jamhuri High school in Nairobi lost about Sh2, 136,340 collected from 700 KSCE private candidates for science examinations without approval from the ministry of Education or the Board of Governors (BOG).

In addition although KCSE candidates were expected to have paid for use of laboratory facilities, there was no evidence of receipt of the funds in the school’s financial records.

Principal David Kilonzi distanced himself from the illegal charging of unreceipted school levies.

Kilonzi said he was not posted to the school by the time of the alleged vice was going on adding he was not aware of such anomaly.