The Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu’s audit has put KICD institution in the spotlight over massive mismanagement in procurement and selling of French textbooks and construction projects.
Needless Printing of Textbooks
Despite the fact that French would only be taught in one school in every target county, KICD still contracted a publishing company to print 1 million French textbooks for Grade Seven pupils. Schools in Nakuru, Bungoma, and Kakamega received the books, and the gift list carried the difference with a deaf school in Kwale and a blind school in Likoni, where the books could not be utilized due to a lack of versions adapted for special needs learners.
The Auditor General, Gathungu, had questioned the procurement since no needs assessment exercise was conducted prior to giving out the tender. This was a clear attestation of resource wastage and delays in the delivery of books; in some instances, learners received materials two academic terms late. There were still delays in delivering mathematics textbooks in some schools in Bungoma and Nakuru, further affecting the quality of education.
Construction Projects at a Standstill
Also, the audit has revealed that taxpayers stand to lose up to Sh740 million from a stalled project meant for an education resource centre at KICD headquarters in Nairobi. The project, whose construction began in May 2013 and was to have been completed by March 2015, has since stalled due to non-remittance of development funds. Notwithstanding a payout of Sh724 million for contractual works and Sh15 million for the lease-way, the contractor was not on-site during the audit in February 2024.
The delayed project has escalated the costs, with the agreement cost being Sh1.5 million per year for a lease-way. Gathungu ruled that the investment did not give value for money, thus raising questions over the management of the budgets and allocation of funds.
Financial Irregularities
The audit report also flagged KICD for several financial irregularities, including receiving Sh44 million directly from donors without such money first passing through the National Treasury and consequently violating the Public Finance Management Act of 2012. Moreover, KICD spent Sh185 million above the approved budgets for various projects at the institution, key among them being the Kenya Primary Education Equity and Learning project and the digital literacy program. The source of the extra money was not known, hence raising questions over the regularity and value for money of the expenditure.
The KICD also failed to surrender Sh110 million in excess revenue to the exchequer, contrary to regulations by the national government. The institute also irregularly transferred Sh165 million from the digital literacy programme to curriculum reforms, thus violating legal provisions.