The Ministry of Education is under intense scrutiny after shocking revelations emerged in the Senate regarding the disappearance or mismanagement of a massive Ksh183 billion meant to support schools across the country.
Kajiado Senator Kanar Seki, while speaking during a Senate session on Wednesday, July 22, presented findings from a detailed special audit covering the Financial Years 2020/2021 and 2021/2022.
The audit exposed widespread underfunding and questionable financial practices within the Ministry’s operations, sparking outrage among lawmakers and the public alike.
According to the audit, public schools at all levels have been underfunded by alarming amounts. Specifically, public secondary schools were shortchanged by Ksh71 billion, Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) by Ksh31 billion, primary schools by Ksh14 billion, and Special Needs Education (SNE) programs in secondary schools missed out on Ksh67 billion.
The cumulative underfunding paints a grim picture of financial negligence and misallocation within the education sector.
“These findings raise serious concerns about the Ministry’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and the welfare of learners,” Senator Seki said, while calling on the government to act swiftly and decisively.
He strongly criticized the distribution of large sums of money to ghost schools or non-operational institutions, even as real learners continue to suffer from teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, poor infrastructure, and frequent delays in funding.
“It’s a complete betrayal of our students and their right to quality education,” Seki remarked.
The Senator requested the Senate’s Standing Committee on Education to provide clear answers about what measures are being taken to resolve the funding gap, especially in JSS, where the demands of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) have created urgent infrastructural and operational needs.
He further raised concerns over the appearance of 14 non-existent schools in the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS), questioning how these “ghost” institutions were added without proper checks or verification.
Senator Seki demanded a full investigation to identify the Ministry of Education and National Treasury officials responsible for approving the irregular payments. He also called for a public update on any steps taken to recover the missing billions and hold accountable those involved in the scandal.
Moreover, Seki urged the Ministry to launch a nationwide verification exercise to ensure the data in NEMIS is accurate and up to date. He warned that without proper data integrity, there is a high risk of continued loss of public funds through fraudulent or misdirected capitation disbursements.
As the debate intensifies, many education stakeholders and citizens are closely watching how the government will respond to this major financial scandal that has left the education system stretched and learners neglected.
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