Majority leader in parliament Kimani Ichungwa…Photo/IP
By Peter Mwibanda
NAIROBI, Kenya — Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu’s latest report for the financial year ending June 2024 has exposed a scandal of monumental proportions.
Millions of shillings meant for the nation’s poorest students have vanished unaccounted for, unverified and seemingly siphoned away under the watch of MPs entrusted to protect them.
Constituencies With Missing Millions
The audit highlights glaring gaps across multiple constituencies:
Mbeere South: KSh 56.7 million disbursed in bursaries—KSh 35 million for secondary schools and KSh 21.7 million for tertiary institutions but no applicant lists, acknowledgments or receipts were available making verification impossible.
Baringo Central: KSh 61.8 million disbursed yet acknowledgment receipts are missing, raising doubts about whether the funds reached intended students.
Bomachoge Chache: A KSh 16.3 million discrepancy between disbursed funds and beneficiary records.
Other constituencies flagged for missing documentation include Balambala, Baringo North, Rongai, Samburu West, Lafey, Mandera West, Mandera South, Nyakach and Emurua Dikirr.
Wider Scope, More Red Flags
The report also details suspicious allocations in seven constituencies including payments to nonexistent students totaling about KSh 120 million.
In Tigania West, Chepalungu, Isiolo South, Seme, Kajiado West, Kigumo, Uriri and others, disbursements lacked admission numbers, committee minutes or registers rendering them unverifiable.
Gathungu’s report estimates that KSh 1.2 billion may have been siphoned off across county and constituency bursaries—enough to fully fund nearly 22,800 national secondary school students.
MPs Push Back
In response, MPs have publicly rejected the findings calling the audit misleading and pledging to summon the Auditor-General for clarification.
But public confidence is waning.
When funds meant to lift children out of poverty disappear into opaque accounts and ghost registers the issue moves beyond oversight into betrayal.
Calls to Shift CDF Management to Governors
The report also raises a deeper question: should MPs continue as both lawmakers and bursary gatekeepers?
Many observers argue that education funding is already partly devolved to counties.
Shifting CDF bursary management to county governments could reduce duplication, curb politicized allocations and enable needs-based, locally informed distribution.
Critics however warn that county administrations are not immune to corruption and transferring the system without broader reform may simply shift the problem.
Structural Concerns Remain
Governance watchdogs and civil society have long criticized the CDF framework for:
Separation of powers violations: MPs should not both legislate and manage development funds.
Lack of accountability: Unlike devolved structures, CDF lacks rigorous oversight, audit systems and integration with other development programs.
Duplication and waste: Parallel grant systems at national and county levels foster inefficiency and create opportunities for graft.
Public Outrage
Online reactions reflect widespread frustration:
“Massive mismanagement… absolutely brutal what these politicians have done.” —Reddit user
“Bursaries are also a loophole used by MPs to siphon cash.” —Reddit user
“They should do away with the CDF completely… maybe shift to the office of the governor.
Parliamentarians should stick to being representatives.” —Reddit user
A Nation’s Trust Betrayed
The Auditor-General’s report has exposed a system where millions intended for Kenya’s children vanish without a trace.
Experts say the only path forward is transparent, depoliticized and accountable management through:
Independent bursary boards free from MP control
Public beneficiary registers
Tight audit systems
Citizen monitoring
MPs cannot simultaneously legislate and disburse bursary funds.
Kenya’s future hinges on leaders treating education as a lifeline, not a political tool.
Ends.
