Embakasi East Member of Parliament, Babu Owino, has come out strongly to deny allegations linking him to the embezzlement of a bursary fund reportedly worth Ksh77 million.
In a statement released on Friday, July 4, the outspoken MP dismissed viral social media claims accusing him of mismanaging the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) intended for student bursaries.
The social media post, which has been widely circulated, accused Owino’s office of issuing bursary forms without valid student admission numbers and bouncing cheques.
It also alleged that there was no established bursary vetting committee in place and that Auditor General Nancy Gathungu had not received proper acknowledgment receipts for funds disbursed under the bursary programme.
Owino, while addressing these claims, labelled the reports as fake news and a targeted attack by political enemies who are determined to ruin his image.
He assured the public that the Embakasi East CDF had been fully audited and cleared by the Auditor General. “This is more fake news from desperate and unworthy opponents.
The Auditor General gave us a clean bill of health for using the Constituency Development Fund properly,” said Babu Owino.
To back up his statement, the MP provided a copy of the Auditor General’s report which details the financial audit of the CDF fund in Embakasi East. According to the report, the amount audited and accounted for was Ksh52.5 million—not Ksh77 million as had been claimed online.
The Auditor General’s findings indicated that of the Ksh52.5 million allocated for bursaries in Embakasi East, a total of Ksh41.4 million went to secondary schools, while Ksh8.05 million was directed to tertiary institutions such as colleges and universities.
The remaining balance was used for other grants and transfers, all of which were fully accounted for according to the report.
The Auditor General noted, “As required by Article 229(6) of the Constitution, based on the audit procedures carried out, except for one issue mentioned in the section on the Lawfulness and Effectiveness in Use of Public Resources, I can confirm that no other matter came to my attention to indicate that the funds were misused.”
However, the report did confirm one issue raised in the viral claims — the absence of a formal bursary vetting sub-committee during the distribution of the bursary funds.
Auditor General Gathungu pointed out that this violated the National Government Constituencies Development Fund Regulations, 2016.
“The management failed to form the sub-committee known as the Education Bursary, Mock Examinations and Continuous Assessment Tests Committee, which is a requirement under Regulation 21(3),” the report stated.
According to the law, every constituency is supposed to establish a bursary vetting sub-committee to review and approve all bursary applications. This committee helps ensure fair distribution of funds and transparency in the bursary allocation process.
Despite this single oversight, the majority of the funds were properly accounted for and lawfully spent.
Babu Owino emphasized that this minor issue was not enough to discredit the entire bursary process or suggest corruption. He reiterated that his administration remains committed to supporting education in Embakasi East.
The Embakasi East MP has recently been in the limelight amid speculation about his political future, with reports suggesting that he may be eyeing the Nairobi Governor seat in the 2027 General Elections.
His firm response to these allegations appears to be part of a broader effort to defend his political record ahead of the next election cycle.
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