Audit Findings: Government Paid Ksh.1.1 Billion for Fake Students, Says CS Ogamba

The Ministry of Education has revealed a story of appalling financial misappropriation in terms of Ksh 1.1 billion allegedly paid to the ghost students in the various government schools in Kenya.

Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Migos Ogamba came out with the revelation when he was called to appear before the National Assembly plenary on Wednesday to create outrage among the Members of Parliament (MPs).

As CS Ogamba claims, the figure is a reflection of money paid up as capitation of students who do not exist in school records.

The number may increase even more because the ministry continues to carry out a nationwide data checking exercise. Among all the government schools, 934 schools still to provide their student enrollment information to verify it.

There are still 934 schools to be checked, and we have already found out that Ksh 1.1 billion was being given out to students who do not exist.

It is because of this that this process is critical, lawmakers were told by Ogamba. This verification process has already led to the shutdown of 10 secondary schools that were discovered to have no pupils.

MPs, however, did not buy into the explanation of the CS and accused him of condoning corruption in the ministry.

Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula asked why there was no disciplinary measure on the officials of the ministry concerned with keeping school records.

There are officers who are supposed to keep and update school records. The government funds have gone into wire transfers to non-existent institutions and students.

How many of your officers have you interdicted on this criminal act? he asked.

In reaction to this, Ogamba defended the ministry, stating that the investigation had not been completed yet and thus any form of punitive action could not be administered until after the verification process had been completed.

We have not interdicted anybody because we have not conducted the exercise.

When it is done, we will be able to know who was involved, which bank accounts were involved and which sub-counties were impacted, he said.

His reaction, however, did not go much further to satisfy the legislators, who charged him with doing nothing and supporting nothing.

Minority Whip Millie Odhiambo was disappointed, claiming that corruption had to be checked immediately.

“The CS is disappointing me. It doesn’t take days. Should any cases of corruption be detected, she insisted on mentioning the schools and the officers concerned and throwing them out of office at once.

Budalangi MP Raphael Wanjala even proposed further that the CS may be protecting corrupt networks in his ministry.

The CS is pulling a joke on us so that we could proceed to next year with the same ills.

He might be enjoying the same cartels looting Kenyan citizens, Wanjala alleged.

The disclosure has raised more issues among citizens about accountability in the Ministry of Education, which spends billions of taxpayers’ money every year on free education programs.

MPs have now demanded a comprehensive forensic audit and short-term disciplinary measures against the officials involved in the scam.

Ogamba insisted that the ministry was still committed to cleaning its books to make sure that the public money was found in the right hands with the right students and schools.

It is hoped that the exercise of verification will not be long postponed, and a comprehensive report will be submitted to the Parliament.